Witnessing a New Bridge

The new bridge is promise — a promise
of returning Padden Creek to daylight,

to the surface west of 20th Street.
For now the new channel under the bridge

is dry, waiting for the creek
to be released, waiting for the creek

to reemerge after more than a hundred
buried years. As I witnessed the bridge —

so close to completion — I wanted
to testify, I wanted to spread

the good news, I wanted to prepare
for singing the salmon home.

I’m premature: there’s much more work
to be done.

The new bridge is promise
that this work has begun, will be done.

~*~

Andrew Shattuck McBride
NaPoWriMo 2014 ~ Day 18