[Critique Group 2] submission for August 25 critique session, 1210 words
Alice Massa
alicejmassa at gmail.com
Fri Aug 19 03:49:07 EDT 2022
Dear writer friends of Group 2,
Please excuse my being two-and-a-half hours-plus late in submitting
the following piece for our critique session on the 25th. When you read
the piece, you may understand one of the reasons for my tardiness. I
tried numerous approaches for this piece and even initially wanted to
write the piece as a poem. Please read the following when you are in a
good and strong frame of mind--not when you are tired at the end of the day.
With thanks and good wishes,
Alice
*Tales and Tragedies of the Kilbourn Avenue Bridge*
by Alice Jane-Marie Massa
When my first Leader Dog Keller and I moved to Milwaukee in 1991, this
city had nineteen drawbridges:now the number is twenty.Although I never
had a fear of crossing bridges, I discovered that I did have a fear of
crossing drawbridges.Thus, for the first few years that I lived in
Wisconsin and worked full-time at Milwaukee Area Technical College, my
Golden Retriever and I took the city bus for one portion of our route
from the college, disembarked the bus at the major intersection of
Kilbourn and Water (just east of the Kilbourn Avenue Drawbridge), and
walk the other portion of our route.
Finally, I tired of waiting for the bus which infrequently passed by us
when the bus was already filled.Additionally, I felt less safe,
especially at night, when my guide dog and I stood at the bus
stop:walking briskly seemed the better choice—even if crossing one of
the city’s drawbridges was part of the alternative.
Of course, the first few crossings were the most challenging.Eventually,
I crossed the highest-pitched State Street Bridge with ease.This bridge
is a historic bridge made of wood.Later, with my second Leader Dog
Heather, I became comfortable with crossing the Kilbourn Drawbridge, as
well as the Wells Street and Wisconsin Avenue Drawbridges.While the
Kilbourn Bridge has a moderate pitch and has the longest span, the Wells
and Wisconsin Bridges are virtually flat; one notices more of a metallic
sound when crossing these two bridges.
During the earlier years of my living in Milwaukee, each bridge had its
own bridgetender.In more recent years, one bridgetender views the video
cameras of five or six bridges and is responsible for remotely
activating the alarm signals, lowering the barricades, raising and
lowering the bridges when the bridge is clear of vehicular and
pedestrian traffic.With the bridge in the up position, each of the two
portions of the bridge is at a ninety-degree angle to the road (or
non-moveable section of the bridge).Obviously, these bridges over the
Milwaukee River are raised and lowered for the sailboats and other tall
water vessels that make their way from the river to Lake Michigan.
Despite all of my qualms about crossing these bridges and crossing them
in all types of weather—high winds, icy conditions, snow-covered, rain,
sleet, and summer’s heat—merely one time did I experience an minor
accident on one of the bridges.Only two semesters did my teaching
schedule involve a Saturday morning class of four hours and 25
minutes.Those Saturday students were my most mature and dedicated; thus,
my Leader Dog Heather and I were walking home in a happy mood on that
sunny day with very little traffic.With the refurbishing of the State
Street Bridge in progress, I took the Kilbourn Avenue
Drawbridge.Although this bridge had been under some minor construction,
I deduced that no crew would be working on that Saturday.I was
wrong.Unbeknownst to me, an unusual piece of construction equipment was
on the side of the approach of the bridge. One large “arm” of the
machine stuck out into my path—at my eye level, but well above the head
of my Yellow Labrador.I do not know if the machine moved right at the
time of our passing or if Heather missed the overhead object; but the
object hit my temple, broke my glasses (with side shields), and startled
me.Immediately, I realized that my glasses were broken, a bump had
already surfaced at the corner of my eye, and my left eye was
swelling.Next, I became aware of two or three construction workers
nearby.I was quite perturbed because they were laughing at me.I told
them that I was calling the police.Unfortunately, I was so rattled by
the incident, I could not successfully use my flip-phone.I insisted that
one of the men call the police.The foreman seemed to do so; however,
after waiting about a half hour, I decided to walk the remainder of the
way home because I was feeling faint.
Thankfully, Heather and I arrived home safely; and I placed cold
compresses on my head and eye.Shortly after, the doorbell rang.A police
officer did come to check on me and take my statement.The very kind
policeman (and later the head of the Department of Public Works)
encouraged me to press charges against the company or to, at least
insist that the company pay for my specialized glasses.Ultimately, I
decided that I only wanted a letter of apology and did receive one.
One other incident I recall about the Kilbourn Avenue Bridge happened on
another fair-weather day.Leader Dog Heather and I were heading west
across the drawbridge at just shy of the peak (or breaking point) of the
bridge when the alarm bells began to ring the warning for the raising of
the drawbridge.Without a second to hesitate, I somehow decided to
continue forward on our path and try to hurry.This experience was,
indeed, a heart-racing moment; however, most gratefully, my second guide
dog and I walked rapidly to the other side of the bridge and to the
sidewalk—to blessed safety.Usually, I would hear the warning bells from
the bridge immediately to the north or to the south so that I knew what
would be happening; however, that day, I was taken unaware.This incident
did not deter me from using the drawbridges for our walking routes to
our destinations in the city.Since I retired from teaching, my current
Leader Dog Willow and I no longer need to cross the drawbridges on a
daily basis:we take a variety of walking routes east of the river.
I think of these drawbridge experiences this week for one reason—one
tragic reason.On Monday, August 15, around noon,a 77-year-old man who
had some difficulty walking and who wore one hearing aid was reading his
i-pad as he and his wife were crossing the Kilbourn Avenue
Drawbridge.They were walking to the 12:15 Mass at Old Saint Mary’s
Church—a route my guide dogs and I have known very well.The man was
retired from a 36-year career as a religious writer for the newspaper in
Providence, Rhode Island.Throughout his impressive career, he
interviewed Pope John Paul II, the Reverend Billy Graham, the Dalai
Lama, and many others around the world.The former newspaperman and his
wife were in Milwaukee for a vacation and were staying at a nearby
hotel; they were to return to Rhode Island on Monday.
However, on that sunny afternoon, on their way to church, they were
crossing the bridge when the bridgetender, from his remote location,
activated the very loud alarm bells and the raising of the bridge.The
wife was enough ahead of her husband that she was able to hurry to
safety; however, her husband had to grab the side rail of the bridge.The
bridge continued upward.The 77-year-old man held onto the rail for one
to two minutes.Then, he fell.
Why does a life well-lived end in such a gruesome way?
Number of words:1210
*Tales and Tragedies of the Kilbourn Avenue Bridge*
by Alice Jane-Marie Massa
When my first Leader Dog Keller and I moved to Milwaukee in 1991, this
city had nineteen drawbridges:now the number is twenty.Although I never
had a fear of crossing bridges, I discovered that I did have a fear of
crossing drawbridges.Thus, for the first few years that I lived in
Wisconsin and worked full-time at Milwaukee Area Technical College, my
Golden Retriever and I took the city bus for one portion of our route
from the college, disembarked the bus at the major intersection of
Kilbourn and Water (just east of the Kilbourn Avenue Drawbridge), and
walk the other portion of our route.
Finally, I tired of waiting for the bus which infrequently passed by us
when the bus was already filled.Additionally, I felt less safe,
especially at night, when my guide dog and I stood at the bus
stop:walking briskly seemed the better choice—even if crossing one of
the city’s drawbridges was part of the alternative.
Of course, the first few crossings were the most challenging.Eventually,
I crossed the highest-pitched State Street Bridge with ease.This bridge
is a historic bridge made of wood.Eventually, with my second Leader Dog
Heather, I became comfortable with crossing the Kilbourn Drawbridge, as
well as the Wells Street and Wisconsin Avenue Drawbridges.While the
Kilbourn Bridge has a moderate pitch and has the longest span, the Wells
and Wisconsin Bridges are virtually flat; one notices more of a metallic
sound when crossing these two bridges.
During the earlier years of my living in Milwaukee, each bridge had its
own bridgetender.In more recent years, one bridgetender views the video
cameras of five or six bridges and is responsible for remotely
activating the alarm signals, lowering the barricades, raising and
lowering the bridges when the bridge is clear of vehicular and
pedestrian traffic.With the bridge in the up position, each of the two
portions of the bridge is at a ninety-degree angle to the road (or
non-moveable section of the bridge).Obviously, these bridges over the
Milwaukee River are raised and lowered for the sailboats and other tall
water vessels that make their way from the river to Lake Michigan.
Despite all of my qualms about crossing these bridges and crossing them
in all types of weather—high winds, icy conditions, snow-covered, rain,
sleet, and summer’s heat—merely one time did I experience an minor
accident on one of the bridges.Only two semesters did my teaching
schedule involve a Saturday morning class of four hours and 25
minutes.Those Saturday students were my most mature and dedicated; thus,
my Leader Dog Heather and I were walking home in a happy mood on that
sunny day with very little traffic.With the refurbishing of the State
Street Bridge in progress, I took the Kilbourn Avenue
Drawbridge.Although this bridge had been under some minor construction,
I deduced that no crew would be working on that Saturday.I was
wrong.Unbeknownst to me, an unusual piece of construction equipment was
on the side of the bridge, as one was leaving the bridge.One large “arm”
of the machine stuck out into my path—at my eye level, but well above
the head of my Yellow Labrador.I do not know if the machine moved right
at the time of our passing or if Heather missed the overhead object; but
the object hit my temple, broke my glasses (with side shields), and
startled me.Immediately, I realized that my glasses were broken, a bump
had already surfaced at the corner of my eye, and my left eye was
swelling.Next, I became aware of two or three construction workers
nearby.I was quite perturbed because they were laughing at me.I told
them that I was calling the police.Unfortunately, I was so rattled by
the incident, I could not successfully use my flip-phone.I insisted that
one of the men call the police.The foreman seemed to do so; however,
after waiting about a half hour, I decided to walk the remainder of the
way home because I was feeling faint.
Thankfully, Heather and I arrived home safely; and I placed cold
compresses on my head and eye.Shortly after, the doorbell rang.A police
officer did come to check on me and take my statement.The very kind
policeman (and later the head of the Department of Public Works)
encouraged me to press charges against the company or to, at least
insist that the company pay for my specialized glasses.Ultimately, I
decided that I only wanted a letter of apology and did receive one.
One other incident I recall about the Kilbourn Avenue Bridge happened on
another fair-weather day.Leader Dog Heather and I were heading west
across the drawbridge at just shy of the peak (or breaking point) of the
bridge when the alarm bells began to ring the warning for the raising of
the drawbridge.Without a second to hesitate, I somehow decided to
continue forward on our path and try to hurry.This experience was,
indeed, a heart-racing moment; however, most gratefully, my second guide
dog and I walked rapidly to the other side of the bridge and to the
sidewalk—to blessed safety.Usually, I would hear the warning bells from
the bridge immediately to the north or to the south so that I knew what
would be happening; however, that day, I was taken unaware.This incident
did not deter me from using the drawbridges for our walking routes to
our destinations in the city.Since I retired from teaching, my current
Leader Dog Willow and I no longer need to cross the drawbridges on a
daily basis:we take a variety of walking routes east of the river.
I think of these drawbridge experiences this week for one reason—one
tragic reason.On Monday, August 15, around noon,a 77-year-old man who
had some difficulty walking and who wore one hearing aid was reading his
i-pad as he and his wife were crossing the Kilbourn Avenue
Drawbridge.They were walking to the 12:15 Mass at Old Saint Mary’s
Church—a route my guide dogs and I have known very well.The man was
retired from a 36-year career as a religious writer for the newspaper in
Providence, Rhode Island.Throughout his impressive career, he
interviewed Pope John Paul II, the Reverend Billy Graham, the Dalai
Lama, and many others around the world.The former newspaperman and his
wife were in Milwaukee for a vacation and were staying at a nearby
hotel; they were to return to Rhode Island on Monday.
However, on that sunny afternoon, on their way to church, they were
crossing the bridge when the bridgetender, from his remote location,
activated the very loud alarm bells and the raising of the bridge.The
wife was enough ahead of her husband that she was able to hurry to
safety; however, her husband had to grab the side rail of the bridge.The
bridge continued upward.The 77-year-old man held onto the rail for one
to two minutes.Then, he fell.
Why does a life well-lived end in such a gruesome way?
Number of words:1210
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://bluegrasspals.com/pipermail/group2/attachments/20220819/a707c85f/attachment-0001.htm>
More information about the Group2
mailing list