Sunken Grade
Along the coast
signs bear the warning
sunken grade
expect a sudden dip
or a gradual swoop
down and then up
look under the road
to the soil bed
see how it falls
failure to sustain
place
failure to sustain
touch
failure to sustain
attachment
the road has lost so much
integrity, strength, endurance
so the engineers
measure with their lasers
and their sticks
how much has fallen
where has the soil gone
can the road be fixed
there’s not enough
time or money
to fix all the sunken grades
Pamela Olson, 4/7/08
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