The Letherhome Bridge

Deborah went away today.
We wished her well,
as we did before,
and the befores before that.
Deborah laughed,
said she will not be back.
We try to believe her now,
as we tried before,
and had tried before that.

 

The Letherhome Bridge

Bob Komives

Hernan Cortes tries to tell her
to burn her bridges,
burn them behind her,
as he had burned his ships
so he could not go back to Cuba or Spain
until he conquered Mexico.
But speaking as one of her bridges,
or perhaps the hull of her ship,
I have no desire to burn.
Why should I suffer
just so Deborah can conquer Mexico?
In truth,
she would rather conquer the Extremadura,
back in Spain,
a counter conquest of Cortes,
an adventure that I support,
as I supported her adventure before,
and each adventure before that.
How would my burning further her venture?
Even if she conquers Extremadura,
or Lisbon,
or Brattleboro,
she will want to come back to brag about it.
She will  need a bridge
--even for a short visit.
So, I propose a compromise.
Hernan,
will you get out of her psyche
if I let some weeds grow up,
some bushes to hide me from a distance,
some erosion to my approach?
Let's agree that these are worth a try
-- alternatives to my burning.
They will discourage her return
until she is rich and famous
or in desperate need of a warm bowl of soup.
When the time comes,
I can paint up and fix up,
clear the landscape
so she can see her way back.
For my effort,
I might earn a new plaque.
Or, I might polish up the old one
as I polished it before,
having earned it before that.
With luck,
the old words will still read well:
.......Here sank the ship that let me away.
.......Here rose the bridge that let me back.

Bob Komives :: Fort Collins © 2000 :: Letherhome Bridge :: 0003