Tag: lexington street

drylands in rainfall

all who wish walk here
listen and say
arms lock sweat lift
path unseen waiting earth
touch stones smell tubers watch burrows and webs
hail paths crossing
continuing together

homes at sunrise
(in 1967 bonnie ellis, shirley pryor, and lousie alston helped establish the lafayette-douglass food buying club)

honor of selection

common standard
achievement housing health wellbeing
decent living
pleasing and worthy
for up and coming
substandardly housed people in need
carefully selected mainly family
in doomed wasteful toxic industry of allocation
more difficult than providing for all

affordable housing at sunrise
(poe homes affordable housing opened in 1940 on lexington and freemont streets with 298 of 1500 applicants delighted to have a basic human right fulfilled)

quarantine

enforced
great change in the physical aspect of baltimore
isolation
was brought about by the removal of the buildings along saint paul
limit
cleared into a series of sunken gardens
infection
elaborate stairways
into lonely places

lonely place at sunrise
(in 1914 a thriving, predominantly black neighborhood around saint paul street between lexington and center streets was razed as mayor preston innovated baltimore apartheid)

tapestry

sons of princes
with discontinued wefts of yarn
of gold silver silk wool and cotton
hiding the warp threads
gathered together and started weaving
a cloth that changes with every different ray of light or new perspective

saint paul and lexington at sunrise
(the maryland historical society was established in 1844, with offices in the athenaeum)

mah-hah-bone

from east, west, north, south political
in search of power
on the rails over the crossties
from the highest hills and the lowest vales
with fervency zeal grip and word
speculating
troweling cement into fissures in the sanctum sanctorum
time seizes they cry and shout
bees in a hive incensed
swords properly pointed
anchors weighed
scythes sharpened
shovels ready
foot to foot knee to knee breast to breast hand to back mouth to ear
launching the semi-sacred quest

square fountain at sunrise
(the first of many national political conventions in baltimore in the 19th century was held by the anti-masonic party at the athenaeum on lexington and saint paul streets in 1832)

for the promotion of the mechanic arts

manufacturers artizans fostering exalting inventive genius
increase trade business and commercial mart
blending colors richly and well
designing chastely and architecturally.
some thousands may promenade the handsome galleries

saint paul and lexington south at sunrise
(the maryland institute was charted in 1825 and began meeting at the athenaeum on lexington and saint paul streets)