The girl from Carbondale

Note to the reader: We at the DAILY EGYPTIAN do not usually publish this type of material on the Opinions page, but we thought today we’d do something a little different. 

Illinois is a beautiful place

The land has been touched by God’s grace

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The fields are plenty, the forests thick

The towns are made of steel and brick

The rivers are gentle and the summers are warm

In autumn beauty is the norm

Yet a single city is the most beautiful part

For a girl down there holds my heart

If you head down south on an old dusty trail

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You will soon find the city of Carbondale

The town is old but its spirit new

The brick streets have a red hue

The university overshadows the entire city

But fresh spring flowers make it pretty

You can hear chimes every hour

Ringing forth from the bell tower

Yet when I see her face I can’t utter a word

The town around me becomes blurred

When I see her arrive, my legs want to run

For her face is more beautiful than the setting sun

When I embrace her in my arms, my knees get weak

My heart skips a beat when she kisses my cheek

When I smell her hair a shiver goes down my spine

And I can’t help but smile because she is mine.

This is my story, this is my tale

About the girl from Carbondale

I will love her unconditionally until the end of time

I will love her when she’s old and out of her prime

I will love her through the good days and the bad

I will love her when I’m happy and when I’m sad

I will love her until I breathe my final breath

But I will continue to love her after my death

My body may cease but my love will never fail

I will always love the girl from Carbondale

Ryan Harding

Edwardsville

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