the tower

In the shadow of the old black water tower, ten miles from the farm, my grandmother kept her sausage, bacon & beef stored in the Milan food locker.  On summer days I made the trip at least once a week and the sizzle of meat in an iron skillet is as memorable as the sound of cicadas in late August.  I don't think I ever saw the white letters stenciled above my head until years later - State Champs 1954.  Now, with five years of basketball photos stored away, I wonder what else I've missed.  © Chris Smith