City Bayou
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Out the door and on the road,
I meet the crowds again.
What’s the rush? Oh yes I know,
I’m off to work with them.
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Trolleys rolling, packed with people,
standing, wandering, hustling by.
Cars and buses, bikers, joggers,
all to work they stride.
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Day in and out it’s all the same?
You’d think that would be true.
But no, the city’s changing,
because of me and you.
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My favorite route is where I go;
along the bayou say they.
But in the city all is different,
a greenway it is today.
…
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Up and down I bounce along,
tires beating like a drum.
With all the others, such a rush,
not knowing what next to come.
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The bayou is strong, the earth relentless,
always on the move.
Try their best to tame it,
concrete is what they use.
…
So clickity clack I roll along,
this road does lift aloft.
A marsh it was, yes I can tell,
this ground is really soft.
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But as I follow this meandering road,
imagining years ago.
A marsh of beauty once was here,
where nature did flourish and grow.
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With grasses trees birds and reptiles,
fish of every sort.
Today are folded on one big stream,
from city out to port.
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I like this route its always changing,
everything old and new.
Always moving, always growing,
a rush to be shared with two.
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Grass and trees, cycling trails,
so cool to just hang out.
A place to relax and get away,
for peace and tranquil naps.
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Hanging moss, blooming flowers,
bridges over water.
Houses buildings, lots of cranes,
always reaching taller.
…
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Cyclers joggers strollers walkers,
of every ethnic sort.
Languages I’ve never heard,
nor understanding can I report.
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Where people pass and engines roar,
this road has such a pace.
But down along the waters edge,
is made a peaceful place.
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Always different always changing
this bayou through our town.
Even so I love this place,
that makes my pace slow down.
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So to work I go but how I long,
the weekend in my plans.
A stroll along the city bayou,
walking hand in hand.
…
A poem by David Smitherman, with satellite views from Google Maps.
This poem is based on Brays Bayou, which flows through Houston Texas where I was a graduate student for a year, and frequently worked on short tours of duty with NASA.