When our precious rights are abridged
When our livelihood, our health, and our hearths are at risk
When our beloveds suffer and die
When we need to Thank our Veterans
When we must dance for freedom
When we must stand in silence or solidarity
When we must sing in joy or in protest
When our houses of worship are scenes of hatred
When our landmarks are defaced
When racism crawls out of its slimy gutter
When the broken lead the twisted into dark places we cannot comprehend
When our children need to see that we are not afraid
We gather at our River, the mighty Damariscotta
We gather on the Bridge between two towns
Our Bridge to Peace
Our Bridge to Tolerance
Our Bridge to Understanding
We gather there, as we have done before, to speak as one
It is the place we start, hand in hand
To heal ourselves and our world
The place we say publicly that
Silence is consent
Hate has no home here
We are the Human Race
And when for just one person a light comes on
A small understanding is seeded
A new compassion takes root
We Bridge the gap
& Love wins.
ECB
Photos of various gatherings on the Bridge over many years by Stephen LaGueux, Anna Barber & Eleanor Cade Busby