Resistance Is Fertile

© Matthew Word Bain

the waters of Lewis Creek
which flow beneath this building
as they do through much of downtown
are sustaining this Virginia creeper
as it perches on anthropogenic support

nature, as present in this hidden waterway
has been suppressed in its expression
at least to some extent, and for some time
but the natural forces promoting decay
are clearly present in the absence of upkeep

and green new growth is gaining new ground
as this facade crumbles and the red clay
of which this building is made
once again breathes in the open air

it is a kind of coming undone
that is a coming full circle
as much a reminder
of the transience
of rigid structures
as it is of the inexorable
return of that which
yields in order
to prevail