2026 05 01

The scene in Farmer City, Illinois. April, 2026 © Clayton Hauck

FARMER CITY, ILLINOIS
Ain’t no people here. Except the two kids rolling by on bicycles who say to me, “Hello. Hello.” as they pass, while staring me down like I’m from another planet. There are eyes all over town. But the eyes are not human. They’re painted on various surfaces from a likely-bored artist I’d very much like to meet. I imagine he’s behind a curtain up in one of these buildings on Main Street, peering down at me right now. He’s painting more eyes onto a large canvas while a police scanner crackles in the background. Another old man nearly walks into me, startled by another person walking down the sidewalk. I want to ask him about this place but he’s in a hurry so I let him continue and keep it a mystery.

-Clayton