The Week Before Christmas: A Waterfront Poem

‘Twas the week before Christmas,

And all through the town

Debate o’er the waterfront

Raged up and then down.

“Development first!” one side decried.

“No!  No!  Parks and Art!” the other replied.

Letters and ads in newspapers galore

Let residents know they were in for a war.

Waterfront Working Group meetings had ended,

With such a division, all knew what portended.

Onward to Council their big report flew,

No trace of consensus at all within view.

City Council proceeded with plans and Op Eds,

While visions of dollar signs danced in their heads.

“On with development!  Let’s have more and more!

“We won’t be content ‘til hotels crowd the shore!”

“We started with BRAC and then Corridor A.

“We’re just getting started!  We won’t go away!

“The waterfront’s next.  Then Potomac Yard’s coming!

“When we are all done, the City’ll be humming!”

“But what about us?” a young resident asked.

“Don’t we have some rights?  Aren’t you going too fast?”

“You don’t understand,” all the Councilmen said.

“We need those hotels, or we’ll go in the red.”

“But our kids need the parks,” the young resident said.

“Your plan has hotels and new bars there instead.”

“And our history matters!” an old graybeard stated.

“Tall ships, George Washington, Bob E. Lee … all created

“The city we love!  The City we live in!

“We’ll, no never agree to give in!”

“But hotels are so cool!”  the Council replied

“They’re all glass and faux brick, with parking inside.”

“Never mind all the traffic the hotels will bring.

“Tax income alone will make our hearts sing!”

“And the submarine parking!  Why that’s all the rage!

“Cars will float up and down in a huge steel cage!”

“And don’t forget restaurants!  We own three or four.

“With these new hotels, we can add several more!

“And boats!  Lovely boats!  We can tax them a lot!

“And we’ll build a new pier to bring more to this spot!”

“Now wait just a minute!” the young citizen cried.

“Don’t YOU work for US?  Why aren’t you on our side?”

“And do you not see?” asked a citizen true,

“That hotels don’t bring tourists.  Art and History do!”

“How charming,” the Councilmen said with a sneer.

“The truth of the matter is perfectly clear!”

“Developers rule!  And biggest is best!

“A huge new hotel will just pass the test.”

And then clapping their hands overhead in great glee

The councilmen gloated, “And it’s practically free!”

And they danced up the hill, trampling Art ‘neath their feet

And History, too, lay there bruised in the street.

And Parks were forgotten.  They’d soon be paved over,

While the Councilmen all rolled on in the clover.

And I heard them exclaim as they danced up the street

“Merry Christmas to us!  We can’t wait for our treat!”

                                    ***

But the end of this story’s not yet written, my friend.

You still have a chance to change how it will end.

If you support Parks, Art, and History, too,

Then write to the Councilmen.  Let them know your view

Then perhaps, just perhaps, a real change can take place

And the Council may find different use for the space

And respect what was done by Councils before,

And generations to come will still have the shore.

By Hugh Van Horn, Old Town Alexandria