LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Finding grandeur in an ugly sight

To the Editor:

Hi! I am part of a homeschool group called Classical Conversations. We were given an assignment to describe an ugly site in such a way that it rises to near-grandeur. I modified the assignment a bit, but I wrote a poem about the lot next to your building:

Between the Herald and a building for sale

There lies a blank space where the pavement is pale

“Paint me with words,” it says, “put me to use!”

And so I proceed to let its wings loose

Neither dirty nor clean it sits by the road

As if a piece of a puzzle is missing, untold

It’s empty expression means so much

To an artist a blank slate, to a layman not such

Its open paving, it’s inspiring expanse

Brings the builder to build and the dancer to dance

All this in a space where the pavement is pale

Between the Herald and a building for sale.

I shared the poem with my dad and he said, “Send that to the Herald.” So here it is. I hope you liked it.

 Zacharia Titus

Albany