Tag: baltimore

gift of a site

walking in hills and dells
hogs mill out of the orchard into bondage
toads rustle toward water barbaric
deer graze in circuits progressing
ravens encircle anticipating
sparrows forage in microcosm
cows linger about stables ignorant
sheep graze superstitious
a few hundred birds in song capable
weasels forerun
roosters confer
geese gather around opportunity
cats habituate each on its own
rats steal in order attention obedience discrimination and memory
ox and horse till usefully
falcons train on pigeons
snails rasp across tasty objects
flies light on still hands
and snakes measure air with tongue-craft
so join hands each a teacher farmer artisan
nonexempt in falling icy fangs

homewood at sunrise
(in 1902 the land for the johns hopkins homewood campus, as well as wyman park and the way between wyman park and druid hill park, was donated by eight people, including david carroll)

single executive system

responsibility
scrutiny
municipality
professionalism
highest bidded infrastructure use
unhasty legislation
limited floating debt
protected public schools
well-supervised assistance.
rising expenditure inelastic revenue
fictitious valuations
discounting the future
expensive mediocrity
wastefulness inefficiency
services rendered incommensurate with available resources
bogey of threatened removal

city hall from south at sunrise
(the city began operating under a new charter in 1898)

common enemy

in a rain of flowers and cheers
our soldiers fire on people in the streets
between the buildings on the pavement
echo chamber roar
squeezes blood
out of eyes ears nose lungs
briefly faintly tinting the coastal waters
traces of anthropocene

mount royal station at sunrise
(in 1898 the massachusetts sixth, successor to the same regiment attacked by baltimore residents 37 years earlier, marched from the b&o’s recently opened mount royal station to camden station, cheered by citizens enthusiastic about the start of a war with spain)

wileys waltz

sliding on water
cutting into semiliquid
flying on unbonded ice
in the ferry channel by empty anchorages
over shoals
by thomas cove
past points lookout wagners leading stony rocky sandy
moss goose pond
whitehall bay
onto the severn
around the frozen hemisphere

sweating river at sunrise
(1893 was one of the years when winter ice covered the patapsco and much of the chesapeake bay)

union park

in a dirty dreary ramshackle place
muggsy uncle robbie ee-yah wee willie kingpin big dan
heinie steve frank boileryard
sadie bill kid bert count duke
stub old wax figger
bunt chop run sacrifice impede impose slug argue
in front over around and through
giants beaneaters phillies grooms spiders pirates and colts
kelly smells precisely every ball out in the high grass
but sits in the dugout panting

from center field at sunrise
(the baltimore orioles, the baseball dynasty of the 1890s, played at union park between 24th, 25th, hunter, and barclay streets)

songs revenge

wishes follow footsteps
toward the binding sun
that owns souls every second all day
until evening melancholy music
walks unseen
alone without hope
bleeds in a dying dream that melts
like the last rose of summer
relieving every pain

lyric at sunrise
(the music hall, now called the lyric or the modell performing arts center, opened in 1895 on mount royal avenue with a boston symphony orchestra concert)

la bella en santuario

my love sails on the wind
before dawn
strides on sinewy calves and thighs
up hills in morning light
smiles bright compassion
around gathering people
reaches warmly with dark eyes
into those looking from the crowd
speaks with bold clear song
toward the settling sun

oheb shalom at sunrise
(temple oheb shalom dedicated the eutaw place temple in 1892 and used it until 1960—the baltimore hebrew, har sanai, and chizuk amuno congregations also built temples in west baltimore in the early 1890s)