Poem Bricks and Mortar

Poem Bricks and Mortar. By Barbara Buckman Strasko. , Bricks and Mortar , for David Brumbach (Lancaster County Painter 1948-1992), We'll be waiting for you in the shadow , of the trees at the corner of King and Lime, , the sun behind us, lighting our way., We'll see you when the snow falls , on St. James, where the great elms , once grew leaning into the cemetery., You could be waiting by the Conestoga, , looking past its bends and turns to , the slivered moon in a dark valley., One evening we might see a light in the , fanned window of Demuth's birthplace and , you painting in the apartment next door., We'll wait in the square near the market , eating bread and bright vegetables, , knowing you will come by with flowers., And if there were a hole through you , and a hole through me, it would surely , be the city that threads us together, in a psalm of silk, each brick a golden stitch., - Barbara Buckman Strasko , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , A granite depiction of the Conestoga River, located along Lancaster City's southern boundary, winds through Penn Square. This Poetry Paths project features "Bricks and Mortar," a poem by former Lancaster City Poet Laureate Barbara Buckman Strasko. Poetry Paths is a public visual and literary art project founded and produced by the Philadelphia Alumni Writers House at Franklin and Marshall College with funding from the Lancaster County Community Foundation. The goal of Poetry Paths is to bring enduring and inspiring poetry and visual art into people's everyday lives. This is one of twelve Poetry Paths sites., The idea of confluence, which means a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point, served as the inspiration for the design of Penn Square. Landscape Architect John Hershey describes this theme as "both the human confluence that occurs at our city's busy center, as well as the nearby Conestoga River's confluence at our city's southern boundary." Strasko's poem also reflects confluence, as it celebrates her friend, the late visual artist David Brumbach, and the Lancaster meeting places they treasured., [Map caption reads] This map shows the Conestoga River as it flows along the southeastern edge of the City of Lancaster. Walk along this Poetry Path to read the poem and reflect on the theme of confluence in your own life. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Renovation of Penn Square and the Market District Streetscape was completed in 2016 during the administration of Mayor J. Richard Gray under the leadership of Director of Public Works, Charlotte Katzenmoyer.