It’s over. And I had meant to share this little gift of a poem much earlier that was left on a table at the Hamline Dining Hall at the Minnesota State Fair. Over the course of the seven days I volunteered there I cleaned trays and plates from tables over and over again. It is a messy job and you have the chance to clear lots of strange things, lots of surprising things. But a poem? That was a first. Because I needed to move quickly I glanced at it and stuck it in my pocket. There was no poet/author just a title, Get-Together, and #statefairpoetry. Coming across it today I thought that, even though the Fair is over, it is still worth sending out into the Universe.

Current wisdom and tired cliches
Say we are divided. Polarized
Like opposite ends of magnets
Leaping away the closer we come.
Young/old, Black/white,
Blue/red, left/right.

We cannot talk, share, see
Why any would believe the unbelievable.
Yet here we are. All in one place
If only for a few short days, hundreds of
Thousands lining the streets,
Sharing the shade, tasting the sweets
We dreamed all year to eat again.

We watch the same parade,
Hear the same shows,
Stare down the slow fish circling
The same old pond. We will never be singular,
Always many. But herein lies our hope
And beauty: the power to be more than us.

What could be greater
Than the chance to come together
And remember we cannot do this much alone,
Never gather magic in this wonderland
Of spinning possibilities? Today we might
Try to smile, not scowl, hold the door,
watch for those on wheels, offer a hand,
laugh with a stranger, wait with patience.
You could not make this on your own.

Now I know that the Great Minnesota Get Together is not everyone’e cup of tea…or all you can drink milk. But it has always been a highlight of the year for me and for my family. When pressed by the sceptics as to my undying love of those 12 days that herald the end of summer, I always reply that, for me, the whole experience is about possibility, the human possibility of creativity, the amazing possibility that coming together with people who are alike and also very different which provides a canvas on which to have my eyes opened, my heart stirred.

This happens when I walk through the Creative Activities building and see the countless objects people make…sweaters, stained glass, quilts, wood carvings, handmade kayaks, cookies, cakes, pies, jar after jar of pickled vegetables and colorful jams. Or when I walk through the Fine Arts Building and see the amazing expressions of art offered by artists from around the state. And don’t even get me started on the 4H Variety Show that never ceases to bring me to tears with their earnest, enthusiastic songs and dances capped off with the final song: “Our State Fair is a Great State Fair!” All this says nothing of the many animals raised and shown by young people, all their hard work and dedication held in pride by their families and communities. 

Yes, it’s about all the possibility that we as humans can muster when we put our minds to it. Even the various political parties manage to coexist with a certain decorum despite questionable t-shirt slogans and points of view that present a tugging at the seams. Walking among them all I am always reminded to be a little more open to the ideas and experience of others whose lives I simply do not understand but who on that particular day is eating a chocolate chip cookie and drinking a malt with the same enjoyment I am.

Yes, it’s over this Get-Together. Now we go on to the school year and an election that is shrouded in so, so much. Yet like the poet says: Try to smile, not scowl, hold the door, watch for those on wheels, offer a hand, laugh with a stranger, wait with patience. You…we …cannot make this on our own. Herein lies our hope and beauty: the power to be more than us.

***A special thanks to the unknown poet!