Things I have seen in Coffeyville

I'm in Coffeyville, KS for a week, telling stories to elders and high school students. There is a lot to say about it, but for now let me share some images. 

- the empty downtown, bronze in the evening light, with empty store fronts that clearly thrived in the 1940s. Now the pool hall and video game store are lively, and even this is a slow-motion kind of life. 

- the very long beard on the man three tables away in the cafe. No hipster irony, it's been like this (I'm sure) for decades. 

- the friendly waves. 

- the sky, bright and grey. This land remembers flood and drought, locusts and plenty. It is as though the dust decades ago scoured time away.