The prompt for today as found on Poetic Asides with Robert Brewer was: "I want you to write a poem about a landmark. It can be a famous landmark (like Mount Rushmore or the Sphinx) or a little more subdued (like the town water tower or an interesting sign)."
Here is my poem for the day:
The Kensico Dam
by Barbara Ehrentreu
We take it for granted as we
pass, since it's set off the road.
Drivers anxious to speed to
their destinations rarely look at
the spot.
You would never know that
pass, since it's set off the road.
Drivers anxious to speed to
their destinations rarely look at
the spot.
You would never know that
behind the massive concrete wall
gallons and gallons of water created
a giant manmade lake filled with
glistening fish ripe for the taking
Or that boaters glide on this lake
unaware that if a hole formed
In the enormous wall and it crumbled
they might be careening over the people
walking and running in the space created
long ago when courageous men pushed
the water away and built the dam
Leaving a park, yards of green grass
and concrete pathways winding along
the Bronx River Parkway and around the
green in the shelter of the dam
It looks peaceful as the walkers
Go ‘round the square each day. If you go around
Four times it’s a mile. Dog walkers and
in line skaters, runners and those with
canes, the young and the old, bikers too,
take for granted the safety of the wall
Never realizing the danger behind it.
On summer weekends they hold Fair days
gallons and gallons of water created
a giant manmade lake filled with
glistening fish ripe for the taking
Or that boaters glide on this lake
unaware that if a hole formed
In the enormous wall and it crumbled
they might be careening over the people
walking and running in the space created
long ago when courageous men pushed
the water away and built the dam
Leaving a park, yards of green grass
and concrete pathways winding along
the Bronx River Parkway and around the
green in the shelter of the dam
It looks peaceful as the walkers
Go ‘round the square each day. If you go around
Four times it’s a mile. Dog walkers and
in line skaters, runners and those with
canes, the young and the old, bikers too,
take for granted the safety of the wall
Never realizing the danger behind it.
On summer weekends they hold Fair days
The park is alive with balloons and music.
Each ethnicity shows its
joy in itself and hawkers can sell their
wares while dancers entertain on the
portable stage. Ethnic foods available
depending on the culture, brightly garmented
women and men strolling past booths
with free give-aways.
They renovated the park last year
Built a stone memorial displaying photos of
turn of the century men who worked here
in North White Plains. When most of it was
forest and farms. If not for the workers who
toiled to make it happen, this park would never be.
And where would New York City get its water?
copyright 2009 by Barbara Ehrentreu
Each ethnicity shows its
joy in itself and hawkers can sell their
wares while dancers entertain on the
portable stage. Ethnic foods available
depending on the culture, brightly garmented
women and men strolling past booths
with free give-aways.
They renovated the park last year
Built a stone memorial displaying photos of
turn of the century men who worked here
in North White Plains. When most of it was
forest and farms. If not for the workers who
toiled to make it happen, this park would never be.
And where would New York City get its water?
copyright 2009 by Barbara Ehrentreu
************************************************************************************
This week I will highlight another blog and it could be yours.:) Good news!!! Our winner of the free book from Tim Hooker is finally connected with Tim and will be receiving her book soon.:)
This leads into my announcement of my next guest author, Katie Hines, author of Guardian, which is coming out in May. She will be here on April 9th and we will again be offering a contest for a free book. So if you post a comment on that day or the day after you will be eligible. You might not get your book until the book is published, though. :) So stop by on Thursday, April 9, 2009 to learn more about Katie Hines.
Until the next time thank you to my readers and hope to see more
comments with your poems. I hope you are enjoying these poetry posts, because I am loving them!!!!
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