Ingredients for a barn raising: Lumber, nails, 200 people, food, 3 Amish gentlemen to direct the volunteers, and one weekend of your life.

In an age when the number of US farms is rapidly declining and more barns are being destroyed than built or preserved, a barn raising is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Two and a half years ago, I attended the Common Harvest Farm's barn raising near Osceola, WI. The pounding of 100 hammers still rings in my ears.

I watched rafters being lifted against the backdrop of red and yellow leaves. I saw 200 people gather for adventure, fun, laughter, tears, community, and an amazing purpose. In one weekend, a concrete slab became a barn complete with beams, rafters, walls, stalls, loft, and roof.

The experience inspired me to write a poem called The Meaning of Barns. Here's an excerpt:

the tradition of red paint
continues the blood line of barns
I long to dip my brush

The experience moved me deeply and seemed to take on spiritual overtones for me. I grew up on a Minnesota dairy farm, but didn't fully absorb its meaning for me until this barn raising. In retrospect, it was one of the highlights of my fifth decade on this planet. As I write this, I am in tears of gratitude for the invitation to be a celebrant of barns.

If you ever have the chance, don't hesitate to raise or preserve a barn. The Yellow Barn in Conifer was nominated to Colorado's Most Endangered Places List and designated in 2003 as a Jefferson County Landmark. The Yellow Barn preservation organization ( www.preservetheyellowbarn.org) in Conifer holds fund raisers for a different sort of raising, but the same feeling of community. On May 20th, there's a fundraiser at Raven's Tavern. ( www.ravenstavern.com or call 303-838-0606 for details.)

I'm donating a couple copies of my new chapbook titled The Meaning of Barns to that event. The poem won a prize or two and has become the title poem. Maybe an additional ingredient for a barn raising is Poet. If you'd like to order a copy, go to www.finishinglinepress.com or send a check for $12 to Finishing Line Press, PO Box 1626, Georgetown, KY 40324. Shipping is free if ordered by June 6. The publisher's release date is July 6.