Rio Linda

Rio Linda, “Beautiful River”
That’s what the conmen made you think
A trickle of water in the heat of summer
Not even enough to take a drink

Hundreds were convinced, bought into a homestead 
Only to find the ground was too hard
Built them some houses, started a town there
Only enough soil to plant a yard

“Poultry’s the future! We’ll raise some chickens
They only need to scavenge the ground”
Soon there were thousands, meat birds and lain eggs
Rio Linda soon found some fame as a town

Second to only Petaluma,
Chickens and eggs were the big thing
Industry grew, but at steep cost
Everything in town did stink

Over the years, demand did dwindle
Tighter became the community
Maybe a few bad eggs were noticed
A radio host dissed them with impunity

Limbaugh went national, infamy fed
RL became the butt of all jokes
"For those of you in Rio Linda"
Drew a broad brush over many good folks

But then some tragedy brought a new fame
Rio Linda under water again
Clinton did visit and shored up the town
Bought all the chili from the local drive-in

Town caught some action, water diverted
Threats of flooding now minimized
Damage from Limbaugh was now long forgotten
And RL did prosper to many's surprise

Centennial party, a very big hit
And now every year, a great country faire
Parades and zucchini, tractors and lights
And fourth of July fireworks up in the air

The small town, the phoenix
Survived its own crash
And continues to thrive
And still makes a splash

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