February 12, 2012

Memorial Bridge, Portsmouth

Memorial Bridge, Portsmouth
THE END
By John R. Greenwood













The draw of a bridge and three tugs so strong 
A wife’s spare moments consumed with their images 
The tugs of Moran’s parked then not 
Moving, pushing, tugging hard in the swift Piscataqua

















A span’s life only days remain
Crowds with down jackets zipped up high
Gather, point and shoot 
History of a bridge soon to end
Rusted behemoth of weak rivets and salt soaked steel 













Years of hard labor have taken their toll
The Portsmouth legend never stood quite this tall











So at half past ten on the eighth of February 2012
The swift Piscataqua rises by an inch of tears
A span of emptiness left
The heart of a city
The heart of bridge
A heavy heart tugged gently
Ever so gently away

3 comments:

  1. John,

    You have brought an image of beauty, touching respect and feeling to this Memorial Bridge. As with a landmark object in many places, people will only notice its absence, when it is too late.
    Very nice photographs.
    Best Wishes,
    Eileen

    ReplyDelete
  2. You really nailed the emotional tug many of us feel toward historic structures and the sadness caused when they just can't be saved. Beautifully written, and the photographs are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know Memorial Bridge over the Piscataqua

    ReplyDelete