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Open Poetry #7
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God Bless My Home Town
| Open Poetry #7 |
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God Bless My Home Town |
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Elizabeth Santos Member Rara Avis
since 1999-11-08
Posts 9269Pennsylvania 
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God Bless My Home Town Native Americans held this land Which men with deeds took from their hand They built a town with steeples tall Along the river near the fall Grand ideas were soon to gorge The river banks with iron forge The iron forge then turned to steel The little town turned dreams to real Prosperity was easy won Til boys marched with M-16 gun The perfect dreams would have to wait In town that built the Golden Gate The day they shut the steel mill down A cloud of gray hung o’er the town The union men were sore annoyed And lined up with the unemployed Easy jobs were hard to find The easy life was left behind But life goes on and man survives And government now runs their lives The cars they have and haven’t got Fill up the Walmart parking lot A highway now bypasses town Paved over Indian burial ground Drugs became the teenage rage And murders fill the news front page But feel-good people have embarked On missions for a scenic park It runs along the edge of town Right past the Indian burial ground On river’s bank it skirts the ridge And coal railroads with over-bridge It passes empty steel plant lot And pie factory that’s been forgot Our forefathers would be amazed The historic builings we have razed Men of labor ne’er said can’t And built a nuclear power plant The Lene Lenape spirit’s eye Looks weary at the chemical sky And God in heaven glances down I beg Him please bless my home town Elziabeth Santos |
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| © Copyright 2000 Elizabeth Santos - All Rights Reserved | |||
suthern
since 1999-07-29
Posts 20723Louisiana |
Change is inevitable... but not all change is for the good. *S* Your poem is lovely. |
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Seymour Tabin Member Empyrean
since 1999-07-07
Posts 31720Tamarac Fla |
Elizabeth, There seems to be more then one poem here, but they are both wonderful Love Sy |
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Pepper Member Elite
since 1999-08-19
Posts 3079Southern Florida |
Excellent writing, Liz ..... |
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Meadowmuse Member Elite
since 1999-12-27
Posts 3263 |
I love how this piece poignantly addresses tragedy, irony, progress, respect, disrespect, growth, change, forgotten forebearers (and more)...Liz, you certainly know how to handle a subject with graceful magnitude. Thank you. (you know, I kept thinking of John Prine's "Paradise" while reading this, which is a hometown near my own.) ~ Claire |
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ESP Member Elite
since 2000-01-25
Posts 2556Floating gently on a cloud.... |
Liz, You paint a melancholy picture with your words...the hope in the beginning and then the downhill trend. I too pray that God blesses your hometown and allows it to fulfill the potential you express in this poem. Lovely poem. Love and hugs, Lizzie  PS I think this is my 1000th post!! Gee, seems like yesterday I found this haven...how time flies when pleasure is found! I love all of you in Passions!! "Poetry is the true expression of my soul, it is my ultimate means of communication. It is my rainbow of delight." |
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lucky Senior Member
since 2000-01-17
Posts 1601Idaho |
Well Liz, There's just some thing's that go together and this is one is one that goes with the other so... Much Prayers & Love, Dale If I could paint a portrait, of this life in which I've led, and somehow sketch a story, of the visions in my head, I'd start out with a canvas, stretched tightly in a frame, and in the bottom corner, I'd leave room to sign my name. (Michelle A. Bartley) |
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