Walker Church Burning
By Aria Dominguez
Flames roar toward the night sky,
burning a hole in the heart of a neighborhood.
People gather in the street, spellbound.
The police push them back, but more stream from every direction.
An old man recollects his daughter performing on the blazing stage,
flickering lights reflected on the two wet tracks marking his cheeks.
A woman mourns the loss of her plot in the community garden,
the vegetables that lie under a rain of sparks and bricks.
As the carved balcony falls and stained glass windows shatter,
the people remember. They remember of course a house of worship,
but also a meeting place, a rummage sale, community meals.
They reminisce over funerals and fundraisers and concerts of every kind.
They claim their small part in over 100 years of history.
The walls come thundering down as if Joshua had blown that horn””
the onlookers huddled in the rain cannot stop them
any more than the firefighters battling just to keep the fire from spreading.
All they can do is stand, and watch, and bear witness
to Walker Church burning.
More photos are available on the Powderhorn365 website
[…] Photos by Aria Dominguez and Powderhorn 365 of the Walker …Jun 3, 2012 … Walker Church Burning By Aria Dominguez Flames roar toward the night sky, burning a hole in the heart of a neighborhood. People gather in. […]