We have some old covered bridges in New Hampshire. They are remnants of a different time when travel was slower and shelter less frequent and available.

They are a piece of our history that represents the character and  resourcefulness that helped shape the state’s well-deserved reputation for independence.

Tourists come and photograph them, drive across them and observe their quaintness, but most don’t really understand them.

The Covered Bridge is a new poem that I wrote to try to capture the soul of these beautiful old structures.

Glenn K. Currie

 

                                            The Covered Bridge

 

             I listen to wheels chatter as they cross,

Gossips complaining of rough treatment,

Yearning to hear the songs of the highway.

The bridge creaks and moans in return,

Complaining about the fools

Who think it is just a way

To get from here to there.

But the wind and rain and snow

Whisper that this is where

You learn their secrets.

The time portal where you can stand

In the storms and inhale

The life breath of New England.

 

Copyright 2014 Glenn K. Currie