H4W Park: From Pond to Paradise

Lyrics

I remember you before.
Before the new name.
Before the wide green lawns.
Just the low place. The damp place.

The air was heavy then.
Thick with the buzz of dusk, a million tiny wings.
You were the city’s secret sigh.
The place where Clear Creek held its breath.
Just a basin, just a utility.
A problem to be managed.
The smell of mud and standing time.

And they said, "a solution."
A stormwater solution.
But they dreamed a park.
They took the water that flooded our basements,
and gave it a stage.
Gave it a reflection of the sky.

I heard the machines in 2008.
Felt the ground shake.
The engineers from HDR, the dreamers from HGOR,
drawing lines on paper that would become paths.
They didn't erase you.
They just gave you a better job.
A promotion.

They called it a solution.
A stormwater solution.
And it became a park.
They took the water that caused all the trouble,
and gave it a stage.
Gave it a mirror for the sun.

Now, the sound is different.
It's the shriek and splash in June of 'eleven.
The squeal of scooter wheels on the BeltLine path.
A concert in the amphitheater, drifting over the hill.
Ten million gallons, they say you can hold.
A quiet strength, hidden under the paddleboats.
Our beautiful, hard-working bathtub.

You still catch the rain.
You still do the work.
But now, you breathe.
Now, you have a name.
Historic Fourth Ward Park.
You breathe.