The Old Lift Bridge Poem by Raymond Farrell

The bascule bridge
On the outskirts
Of the town in which I grew up
Was erected in 1912
It is a Scherzer rolling-lift bridge
The oldest of its kind in Canada
Built to carry the Canadian Northern Railway's mainline
Over the Rideau Canal
Designed in Chicago
And built by the Dominion Bridge Company
In Lachine Quebec
These type of bridges were erected
Where a swing or high-rail bridge
Could not be implemented
The genius behind
How the bridge operated
Rested in using a see-saw type of action
Requiring little power to operate
Due to a near frictionless rolling lift action
With an overhead concrete counterweight
I remember as a young lad
Climbing up to the cabin
Where the bridge operator sat
Chatting away, and being totally enthralled
When a boat with an oversized mast
Required the bridge to be lifted
The ease and fluidity with which
The span breaching the canal
Rose up and let the boat pass
Amazed me every time I saw it happen
Today, the mainline is closed
The tracks have been torn up
The bridge sits unmanned
Rusted and covered in graffiti
Every halfwit with a can of spray paint
In the county has sprayed his initials
Or some vulgarity or scrawl
Onto the bridge
Which stands in a permanent state
Of 45 degrees elevation
It is an apt symbol of the town
That is slowly fading away
Its factories having moved offshore
The population steadily aging
And among the youth
The main growth being experienced
Is in the number of welfare recipients.