Gentrification By Doug Holder

Maybe not seeing the sun's

rise and fall 

because of the damning exclamation points

of concrete towers

is not important.

The world should

have a dark predator's

shark's grin.

Everything is a flash

in the proverbial pan

after all.

Wipe away the old brick

and cobblestone

the sawdust from the wooden

floors from the corner pub.

Let the battalions

of bull dozers

and Mack trucks

wipe the slate clean.

Look out of your

luxury condo

to the asphalt Alzheimer's

of a parking lot.

And,

There is not one errant stain

on your stainless steel

kitchen....

 

Doug Holder is the co-president of the New England Poetry Club. His work has appeared in Rattle, Cafe Review, Lilipoh, Worcester Review, Soul-Lit and elsewhere.... For over 30 years he ran poetry groups at McLean Hospital (outside of Boston)-- for psychiatric patients. He is the founder of the Ibbetson Street Press.

 

Co-President of the New England Poetry Club

Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene   http://dougholder.blogspot.com

Ibbetson Street Press  http://www.ibbetsonpress.com

Poet to Poet/Writer to Writer  http://www.poettopoetwritertowriter.blogspot.com

Doug Holder CV http://www.dougholderresume.blogspot.com

Doug Holder's Columns in The Somerville Times

https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/?s=%22Doug+Holder%22&x=0&y=0

Doug Holder's collection at the Internet Archive   https://archive.org/details/@dougholder