American Paradox

Thousands of miles away,
In another place and another time,
Familiar in its austerity,
Portrait of hard labour and domesticity
Of colonial farmers - and yet
The grim-faced puritans,
Small-town bible thumpers
That scared me as a child,
As an adult
With a love of horror
And a distaste of kitschy Americana,
Present me with questions:
Who are these tintype people
From an obscure family album?
A satire of small-town life
Or a reassuring image
Of steadfast pioneer spirit?