Peace. In an unexpected place.

I was about to write off downtown Menomonie. A small town in western Wisconsin. When I stumbled across a college  campus. Stout, a polytechnic university. A branch of the University of Wisconsin. I fell in love with Stout. Because the students were gone. A summer recess. All was quiet. Except for a bell tower. That chimed every 15 minutes. And nice winding walkways. Sprinklers, too. Turned on to keep the grass green. Park benches. One in the shade. Where I found refuge from the sun.  I wandered. From one ivory tower to another. Older buildings. Probably erected in the late 19th century. And a mix of modern buildings.  My Italian true love and her friend Giovanna were more interested in the commercial stores. Along Main Street. That was all right. With me. I was on the Stout campus. Didn’t matter if the gals shopped all day. And all night. I had found cherished peace and tranquility.  In an unexpected place. –Jim Broede