That Damn Bridge! Poem by elysabeth faslund

Opening the bridge, I wish for a ridge
With a cabin, in Colorado...

One, unheeded mistake, will rake
This bridge in flashing red lights...

My boss will ask, the Coast Guard task
Me for second-by-second accounting.

The ambulance arrives, ahead of the hives
Of Sheriffs, and fire department.

Did I mention the cup handed to me?

A Wal Mart parking lot will
Pale in comparison.

The boats drift past, and I, at last,
Close the bridge, open gates.

No car, truck, or the clerk down the
Road,
Knows how close this bridge is to
Eternity.

I do.