An unasked question and a poem
Word has come out that very soon, as in this week, the dismantling of the remains of the metal monster of the Patapsco River will begin. This process is expected to last on thru the winter and into next year. The monster wasn’t created in a day; nor will it be demolished in a short time. Probably a year will pass before the new monster starts rising up from the bottom of the river in all of its horrible glory. What intrigues me is that there have been glimpses, if only in miniature, of what might be the final appearance of said monster. There has been published a very generic set of images of what it might look like, which is quite reminiscent of that sinister southern bridge that guards the northern entrance to Savannah, Georgia. Not many details can be gleaned from this rendering, other than in general. This would be like having a basic rendering of a house or building, but lacking distinct details like specific windows, doors, siding, roofing, porches and other features. You know you are looking at a house, but there is little else to go on.
However, in its attempt to keep the public informed, the state has created a Facebook page on the progress of the Key Bridge project. I’ve been keeping watch on it since its inception, and there have been a couple of updates that have intrigued me. One was where they had built a supposed model of parts of the bridge to run wind tunnel test, and the other was a mock up of one of the piers for water flow tests. There was something quite unnerving about the wind tunnel model that jumped out at me. I’m just dying to ask a question, especially about that one as I attempt to discern whether or not these models are very basic or represent the actual structure. There is an email address that has been provided for anyone who has questions on the project. But would they even bother to answer mine? There is a troll on the Facebook page who keeps complaining that his questions go unanswered, but perhaps this is because comes off as a jerk. He seems to be asking repetitive questions about things that aren’t finalized, such as what form the ship barriers will take. I can see that an impolite or pushy question (and multiple questions on the same subject) might get ignored. I don’t know, it will cost me nothing (other than a few moments) to put my questions into an email. Maybe they will answer me, maybe not…. I’m getting to the point where I’ve just got to know. I think I’m going to do it, but I’ve got to compose my question the right way. Obviously no talk of metal and concrete monsters! I only want to know if the models shown in the pictures are representative of the final design. And not only that, I have to word it very carefully… There’s the idea of reading between the lines, but I think also one can ask a question “between the lines” and receive a likewise answer.
But in the mean time, I will post here a poem I wrote on the 4th of July, as I spent the afternoon at a state park where there is no cell phone signal. It was written very old school, on paper with a pen.
A frightful drive
It was a dark, rainy December day
I drove east on the Baltimore Beltway
Map in hand but I still felt lost
A toll ahead but I didn’t know the cost
The rain poured and the road curved
And then a sight ahead left me so unnerved
A great arch of steel towered high
I gripped the wheel and thought I might cry
In my mind I heard it say
“I dare you now to come my way”
So I punched the gas and upwards I went
Looming ahead were girders angled and bent
My heart pounded as I drove on in fear
Soon the iron caged apex drew near
The road I viewed thru rain streaked glass
And saw that my fears hadn’t come to pass
The Key Bridge then said to me
“Now that wasn’t so bad, you see!”
And downward I went, having made it across
Its untimely end was such a terrible loss
Gone forever was my old teenage dread
That winter day memory still lives in my head