the changing road

it is a straight
stretch of curved road
route 4, Pennsylvania avenue
extended.
all the ways
to water, to the bridge
that rises
narrow across the straight
from Solomon's
to California, Maryland.
fifty miles of small houses
face the fast black
band of highway,
farms and tractors
rusting.
road side stands
selling produce
and shark's teeth. big trucks
idling in front
new homes, old shacks.
Vera's to the right,
Calvert Cliffs to the left.
there is a sense of holding
onto the past,
but the grip is loose,
about to let go
of those coming.
the new money. those
seeking quiet
in the hills, the woods,
the water. nothing stays
the same, no roads
left untouched
by tomorrow.