When I’m looking up
From the waters that trace our city
I wonder why we have so many bridges.

Sure, there are lots of rivers around here
Allegheny, Manongahela, Ohio
But 446 brideges
One city
Isn’t it a little excessive?

Some are so close together
Some you never even see people crossing
Some,
(the rust-covered ones)
do nothing but mark forgotten relationships
In hearts and graffiti letters.

But sometimes,
I wonder why we don’t have more bridges.

When the boy from gym class imitates the mentally challenged boy
(the huge one with a speech impediment)
makes huge gestures across the field just so his friends can see.

If there was a bridge between their houses
maybe the cool one would know
when to stop.
That it
Isn’t.
His.
Fault.

When the girl with perfect hair crashes her parents’ car
and then gets a lexus for her 16th birthday.

If there was a bridge from here to those poor countries
(the ones we do bake sales for)
maybe she would stop begging for new clothes.
maybe she would see
that she’s
Pretty.
Damn.
Lucky.


But even if the pillars were placed,
sidings built up,
road paved,
people still have to choose to cross.

I have a feeling
that if there was a bridge to the poor town in my city
It wouldn’t be crossed as readily as the bridge to downtown is
(The one that leads your dad to his paycheck.)

I have a feeling
that if there was a bridge across these oceans
Across the country borders that we call limits
Across the cultures,
Across the religions,
people wouldn’t “have time” to cross it.

There are too many bridges
that they have to drive their lexus’s over
In their own city.