Charles River-2: Zakim Bridge, Charlestown dam, locks, & neighborhood—The Lost Last Half Mile of River

Rain and Sun

2 days to the Charlestown locks and dam along
the Charles River
early morning

First, mist, then downpour with
whipping winds, then
mist again, and finally slow, timid clearing

Light sodden and gray
lens sprinkled with tears
body chilled

Second day, chilly, windy, sunny,
no clouds define the sky—
does the sky exist without clouds?—
and a stroll across the now vividly geometric
locks and dam to Charlestown:
dogs romp thru
the park, couples hold hands,
feel spring between their legs,
the sun shimmers off the nearly open Atlantic Ocean.

Ernesto Cardenale:
“Our lives are rivers
running to empty, into
the sea
which is death.”

photos by skip schiel & teeksa photography

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