Writing - Political Poetry

A Cambridge New Year

'Twas the start of the New Year, and at City Hall
folks had assembled, per Frank Duehay's call.
The agenda was crowded, beyond their belief
As two parts of the city sought zoning relief.

From the Alewife Area a few miles North
Von Grossman's supporters had sallied forth.
But some stayed behind, to deal with the Fitz,
Pulling bodies away from the VGP Blitz.

And others had come, those from the East,
Seeking to slay the ComEnergy Beast.
This Beast, they proclaimed, threatens us all,
Its traffic's too busy, its buildings too tall.

The voice of a third zoning plan also roared,
With the strength of the City's own Planning Board.
"Let Me Zone the Alewife," it screamed through the night
"The neighbors are wrong, I know what is right."

The Citizens all were upset at the meeting
For the Council's attention at best would be fleeting.
With three petitions at once on their plates
How well could the Council debate all their fates.

With no choice but to play with the hand they'd been dealt
The Citizens put aside the anger they felt.
They knew beyond doubt that they'd all done their best
And it was up to the Council to handle the rest.

The citizens argued, they begged and they pleaded
for the council to give them the zoning they needed.
But as the evening drew on and the hour grew late
these advocates started to fear for their fate.

The Von Grossman Petition was hung out to dry
replaced by the petition of Spaulding and Slye.
The Vendetti Petition suffered much the same doom
for the votes to support it were not in the room.

Katherine and Kathy, Tim Toomey and Ken
Supported the neighbors again and again.
But the rest of the Council, despite what they said
seemed to wish the petitions were dead.

They tried to look caring, the five who don't care,
about the zoning problems these neighborhoods share.
"We support what you're doing, we care, yes we do!
But we are quite fearful that someone might sue.

"A hotel in the Alewife is just what we need
to keep Jerry's Pond from going to seed.
And if enough's not enough, we'll give the developer more.
We'll allow him to stick in a neat superstore."

Once done with the Alewife, the Council rushed on
if they took time to listen, they'd have stayed until dawn.
"Those folks in East Cambridge can play in the street.
That space is quite open and the price can't be beat."

So the VGP died and Vendetti died too
but the neighborhoods' fighters are not nearly through.
They'll fall back, they''ll regroup and they will surely remember
who was for what at the polls in November.