The Street that Used to Be

Dear editor:

Here's a 5-minute poem I wrote in 2014 about the Bertsch Street situation:

It dawned on me this morning, By moonlight I could see, The name of the street I live on Should be changed to Used to Be.

There used to be a church here; St. Ann's was dear to us - Now it sits in gloomy darkness, … a wrecking ball, O disgust!

The Rectory that sat next door - Now with water stains and mold, A bent cross for years on its roof - What a sad ending it foretold.

McNamara's Funeral Home Was always neat you see; First it was Jack Brennan's Bar, Now it's another used to be.

Next came the stately high school, On and On, old Red and White! Now it sits - another tax sale! Just a piece of Lansford's blight.

There used to be a convent here; The Sisters kept it up with pride. Now it's just a parking lot With all those memories locked inside.

Another school behind it? The kids I loved to see. "No more!" said the Bishop; Oops! - another used to be.

"Used to be!" "Used to be!" That chant grows from deep inside; It really is a pitiful sight To watch oil' Lansford die.

Joe Nihen

Lansford