Industry. Merrimack River. Red brick factories. Wallpaper sweat. Stained hats. Greasy fingers. Oiled boots. Gloves soaked in time. Mixed aromas. Twelve hour shifts. Five minute breaks. Bag lunches. Overalls with snaps. Tattoos with faces. Eyes glasses smeared. Black acne spots. Machines crunching. Narrow walkways. Wooden floors. Noise upon noise. Laboring fans. Glass transoms. Metal chips. … More Lowell, Massachusetts, 1937
The river has a voice, secured within the constant flow as it passes the factory. It remembers the first block set as the cornerstone. The steam from engines great and small. The windows and chimneys. The bricks and grease. ….and the men wearing overalls sweating over iron, the gold for cities rising into … More STILL THERE
Broken glass, flattened fences, subways sing the language of city blues, not counting bruises or blocks with empty parking lots that mourn the loss, not knowing how to cry. Factories out the country, signs say keep out as men without gloves and collars up spit on the properties that once supplied their families well. … More ABANDONED SOULS
Roger Singer 