The Poetry of Architecture

The curved façade draws the eyes
To angles that assault the senses
That one can juxtapose such lines
Is one of architecture's recompenses

Pyramids and towers heavy and high
Of massive stones that made men cry
To last for ages, for eternity
As the Rulers desired they would be

Sweat equity means different today
For the slaves of old held no sway
On what they built with calloused hands
In long gone kingdoms of other lands

This house designed for daily use
For a family or a couple
The plans the architect did produce
Were accommodating and supple

The cellar is beneath the floor
The attic storage is above
The pantry's by the kitchen door
The patio off the far alcove

The bedrooms, two, are in the back
With golden, eastern, morning sun
A fireplace with chimney stack
Keeps warm when winter has begun

There was a little house I knew
A perfect, pretty, place; a home
A wrecking ball came close to
Leveling it to vacant loam

The lot was slated for office towers
And the little house was in the way
But those who held the powers
Said the house could stay ...

But only for a tiny while
To lift it up from its foundation
The house would be moved in style
To a more suitable location

Far out in the countryside
A green hill stood alone
It would well this house abide
For years to come, a quiet zone

Looking straight up
The curved mezzanines
Skirt the airy atrium

Grey steel girders hoisted high
To right the obelisk in the sky
Paneled in squares of heavy glass
Mega-tonnage is this lofty mass

Designed to stand straight, impressive
So quake and wind are not regressive
For elevators to carry up the execs
The builder must follow architect's specs

Aside from strength and such as clearances
Embellishments like gargoyles make appearances
Curlicues etched into the decorative columns
Remove the aspect austere and solemn

Take a compass, take a square
Draw a line from here to there
A workable design is our objective
Remember not to lose perspective

Amazing feat, ten road decks high
Arching in gradual curves
The Interstate interchange in the sky
One drives with steely nerves

The beautiful parks of notoriety
Were laid out with a master plan
To benefit the poor and high society
With loving strokes of pen began

The arcing paths and flower beds
The lawns for games and lazing
Lakes and fountains with serpent heads
Or an observatory for star gazing

The planting of a thousand trees
Of shrubs and bushes of the clime
A golf course with requisite tees
And lighting for lessening crime

On these details and decorations
An architect would truly heed
To design a park for generations
Is a feat of engineering indeed