Dixon Hearne is the editor-in-chief of Delta Poetry Review. He writes in Louisiana, where he grew up along the quiet bayous and river traces. He is a recently retired academic and writer–assisted by his clever bichon Junie. His work has been nominated for the PEN/Hemingway award and several times for the Pushcart.
Crossing Over
The downtowns were joined
by a narrow brick-and-steel bridge
across the darkly beautiful Ouachita–
river of life, river of death
sauntering south like a summer stroll,
then raging and brimming
with spring thaw,
completely indifferent
to human affairs on either side.
Crowds the mind with memories,
sense memories of time and place
now all but obliterated by fickle
tastes and whim change.
From Western Union,
which hugged the bridge,
to the crisscross tracks at Five Points—
reminder of days when streetcars
carried shoppers and workers
on their daily routes.
Along the wide sidewalks on either side,
tacky items fill showroom windows
where once the finest to be found
was vainly displayed—dreams and wishes.
Now Swept aside and relocated
to suburban hubs
of the beehive variety
in the name of progress.
the fate of most large towns
now rediscovering the value,
the wisdom of town centers.
malls now inverting,
store entries on the outside,
reclaiming the village model
where shoppers stroll
in fresh, open air.
A new idea, many say
whose knowledge
has not yet ripened
into wisdom.