The Day the Street was Paved

I was not there

the day the street was paved

I did not see

the sweaty men,

their tools and machines

arrive.

Nor did I see

the granite curbing

from New England quarries,

attempt to frame,

confine and give permanence

to the ephemeral.

As if granite and asphalt

could make permanent

all that man would touch.

This dusty way

this street,

these homes and lives

will in the end

meet death on time's terms.

I am glad

I was not there

the day the street was paved.