The Bridge Tender

For 27 years, I have tended this old railroad bridge.  Deep in the basin of the Mississippi, the sandstone cliffs tower above me.  On top of these cliffs, the city bustles.  Lawyers, doctors, bankers and insurance workers scurry to their jobs, concerned with their next promotion, their children’s success and the angst of their love lives.

My Turbines Lie Idle

Silently I sit here, forgotten, neglected.
But I cannot forget and I will not forget,
for I have brought life and power
to this city for nearly a century.

Born when horses pulled carts
down the brick lain streets,
I powered the trollies and lit the lanterns
so young men could escort their dates.

Cool Rushing Waters

I am at peace
In the cool rushing waters
Of the northern wiles
I have no
Inherent passion
For men
Or machines
Or money
Give me the harmony
of Nature
and the dance
of Spirit

Picture of me in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area