Romantic Wheeling Project: Silence Rings Out Leslie Clark April 20, 2017 2 Silence rings out Along with the death of radiance, I lay above and still Listening to soft snores below. As my eyes are forced shut, A whistle cries out. I turn myself to the noise And look out afar. Follansbee, I see, Quite the scene, Filled with industries and scenery And of those I love. You toot and trudge Off to far off lands, Yet you are dying Much to my dismay. You are grand and yearned for by me, A symbol of majesty, The essence of power, Deserving of a more fulfilling existence here. In the place that I call home, Wheeling, you are no more. In a time before mine though, You visited my home. The house trembled before you, Children admired your metal exterior, Your speed stupefied the mature, And your existence caused the elderly to reminisce. But because of another Your brilliance was ripped away, Your roots dug up, And taken way. However, they were the only ones to blame, Life within the town withered away, Leaving empty shells within their wake. Causing your domain to rot away. Yet here I lay In your embrace And taken away By your sweet ballad. Perhaps you will stay for years for years to come And here I’ll be Next to you my darling steed Forever until the end. Now I will rest To dream of home Yet to me is not complete Without your silvery songs. Perhaps one day You will return to Wheeling, Lulling others with your grace And rejuvenating Wheeling once again. The Romantic Wheeling Project is a multi-genre place-based learning project where 12th grade Honors English students at Wheeling Park High School used themes of British Romanticism like Natural over Artificial, Emotion over Reason, and the Quest for Forbidden Knowledge to explore their emotional connection with The Friendly City that raised them. Students were to choose one landmark, neighborhood, or place in Wheeling to inspire their open form creative writing. The student wrote short stories, poems, songs, and played with other genres to express their connections and views of Wheeling through a Romantic lens. Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) 2 Responses Marlene Britt April 20, 2017 Just beautiful and also sad. I was born and raised in Wheeling, but have lived in Michigan since 1979. My husband, who grew up in Martins Ferry, OH, calls MI home and our sons also say MI is their home…..but as for me Wheeling will always be my home. I try to go back at least once or twice a year. Downtown Wheeling is so sad see……to me it just seems lost and lonely. Log in to Reply judy minder May 6, 2017 You need to come home to see all the building and restoring and remodeling in downtown now. Log in to Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment.
Marlene Britt April 20, 2017 Just beautiful and also sad. I was born and raised in Wheeling, but have lived in Michigan since 1979. My husband, who grew up in Martins Ferry, OH, calls MI home and our sons also say MI is their home…..but as for me Wheeling will always be my home. I try to go back at least once or twice a year. Downtown Wheeling is so sad see……to me it just seems lost and lonely. Log in to Reply
judy minder May 6, 2017 You need to come home to see all the building and restoring and remodeling in downtown now. Log in to Reply