Bridgers

Sixty tons of steel

rose from the rail cars

as gracefully as mist

out of the valleys
in first light.

Watched from the hillside,

the bridge floated into place

with seeming ease,
evidence of what men
can do in concert.

We focus on the big events,

or so they seem,

the 100-foot behemoth

suspended from the boom,

the fluid turn
and the lowering,

the thrilling precision.

But men are the wonder,

their skill and courage

and faith in each other,

their quiet strength --

another day
of the incredible,

another totem to their work

that will outlive them.

All artists strive for that.

copyright 2010 J. O'Brien, all rights reserved