These downtown streets
are like
broken promises
spilling into
the surrounding neighborhood.
They are like pathways
bordering
an interrupted fantasy.
They are
arteries
skirting the secrets
of pavement.
These downtown streets
once agleam
silent now
as a once brief dream.
The terrace stroll
of shoppers spent
cracks run like blood veins
through pavement.
The streets fall silent
in the limelight
of yesterday
crowds have diminished
into corridors
of decay.
Reblogged this on John Cowgill's Literature Site.
Thanks John!
You are very graciously welcome.
I think there’s far too much gentrification in L.A. To make this one ring true! Beautifully written and completely relatable just the same!
Yes, I think gentrification is a problem in many popular cities these days. Thanks so much, Marissa!
nice! 🙂
Thanks Jim!
Closing time! Closing down time?
It truly might be time to close, ha ha.
Effective metaphors here …
Thanks Dave! This was a writing exercise where I tried to write the same poem in two ways 😀
Sad to witness the demise of a city. So many things come into play, but one would hope the officials would recognize the signs of a dying area and take steps to rectify them!
I think there may be many cities that have let their downtown areas lapse. I know the Baker Hotel and surrounding area in a city called Mineral Wells is one of them. A lot of people have written about the Baker because it is supposed to be haunted, of course.
One “good” thing about run-down downtown areas is they’re such interesting settings for writers!
That could be downtown Corpus Christi, put poetically.
Yes, Jo, I’m sure it could apply to many areas. Luckily the city I live in has been good about taking on downtown projects.
There are lots of streets like that, aren’t there? And they do reflect the lives that reside at their borders. Great metaphor and sad, Lana, but beautifully penned.
Thanks Diana. Yes, there are many downtown streets that have fallen into disarray. It is rather sad. I think these areas are much more interesting than a strip mall setup.
I agree. They often have potential if there’s a will. 🙂
Wow. Bringing beauty to the dilapidated.
Thank you so much! 😀
You had me at the first sentence, Lana: “These downtown streets / are like / broken promises / spilling into / the surrounding neighborhood.” That is Dayton Ohio in a nutshell, a Rust Belt town hard hit by blows to the auto and steel industries. Specific to a town you know, universal to towns all over. The best poetry works on both levels. Well done! 🙂
Thanks so much, Joan. There is definitely a common thread of disenchantment that runs through these neglected, devastated towns.
Well written Lana. It reminded me of “Oradour-sur-Glane” in the province of Limousin in France. A place where people were massacred. And till today it remained a deserted place, the history is too vile and no French government has ever re-build this place. I would imagine it is the most painful wound in the French history, so sad! There are lots of places in the world like this. it is waste of space, money is being used for war instead of building society. Such is a world where we live. Thank you for bringing this topic forward Lana!
Thank you, Juli for the wonderful words. Glad you liked reading it. It is sad that there are places in the world that have fallen either because of economics or because of the terrible tragedy that you mentioned. It is also sad that they cannot be maintained and reused, and how we are wasting space and money constructing other places when the original ones might be utilized. Sadly, we do live in a war-mongering world when there could be so much more constructive and better things that we could all accomplish together.
It is very true Lana, men will never understand men, and this world is showing signs of coming to its end and it is so scary to even think of it. such is where we live!
Wow! Brilliantly written, Lana and so true of many areas of towns…so much hope and aspirations for these places which fell into decay and misery.
That’s exactly what happens, hope goes out the door. Thanks, Annika for the gracious compliment.
“Corridors of decay” – so sad and true. The weird thing is that I love photographing exactly these cracked and run-down places…
Oh Sarah, run-down areas, dilapidated buildings make for some super cool photography sessions. I guess that would be the one thing they are good for, a bit sad to be left behind as people migrate away, though.
Yes, I agree. And I have to add that I always feel a bit bad about taking these kind of pictures…
Beautifully written Lana, despite the sadness. 🙂 x
Thanks Debby! 😀
Wonderful work, Lana. This is brilliant writing and great photography elegantly combined!
Thank you so much for reading, Dina, and thanks for the very gracious compliment! 😀
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