VJs Weekly Challenge – Recovery
Photo: Niagara Dam near Kookynie, an oasis in a dry land. Kookynie once boasted a permanent population of 3,500 people at the height of the gold rush, and double that with transients coming and going. From 1895 to 1910 it was a bustling town, when the first world war began (1914), and then later when the gold price dropped (1923), the population declined, and from the 1960s it completely diminished, and today it is listed as a ghost town with ten people.
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts …” Rachel Carson ‘Silent Spring’
All Gone Now
Swarms covered this fragile land
as gold fevered a crowd,
and in the middle of nowhere
somewhere sprang up
from zero to thousands,
a mayor with parades,
schools and shops,
all gone now ‘cept the dust,
the train now a ghost,
the crowd has thinned,
just a couple remain
and of course, as always,
the pub with a tourist or two,
those halcyon days
will never return
though the land recovers itself.
©Paul Vincent Cannon
Paul, pvcann.com
Love the lines
those halcyon days
will never return
though the land recovers itself.
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Thank you so much.
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As do I!
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Thank you Liz.
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Love it
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Many thanks for that.
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My pleasure
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“though the land recovers itself”…how important!
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Yes, it really needs to right now, thank you Punam.
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You are welcome, Paul.
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Aptly captured, we too have a few of those ghost towns.
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Yes, I have read of a few of yours, almost like pop up towns, they come and go, thank you Heather.
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Most welcome.
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Oh, Paul, I’m so glad you caught up with this prompt! Now I can tell you how exquisite your poetry is, and how I open each post with anticipation.
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My goodness, what an encouraging compliment, thank you so much VJ. Yes, I was running tight, thank you.
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Most welcome, Paul
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Reblogged this on From 1 Blogger 2 Another.
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Thank you very much Douglas.
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like so many ghostly gold towns .. nicely told!
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Thank you for that Kate.
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I love the last line … such deep meaning and thought provoking.
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Thank you Dawn, so thrilled to hear that it is provoking, and yes that important last line, thank you.
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The last line is very important Paul! Nature needs no humans to recover itself. Michael
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No, it can heal better on its own, if given the chance that is. Thank you Michael.
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So true, Paul! Thank you! Michael
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I particularly like these two lines, as they suggest the trivializing of the past: “and of course, as always, / the pub with a tourist or two.”
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Yes, that modern monetising of everything.
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Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
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Thank you so much Charles for your encouragement.
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Always happy to read and support your blog!!
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Well, thank you for your very kind support.
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Simply conjures up curiosity for me. A kayak ride to roam the area possible? Might not be anything there…well maybe a few windkisses. Hoe yo are well Paul. Your blog has grown. Happy for you. Keep on.
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Yes, and swimming. It is a human enhanced water hole. It was turned into a dam for the railway locos. Many thanks for your continued support. Well indeed, and trust you are too.
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The miners are always on the movie… makes me so ill.
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