Birchwood Run

Circa 2016: The waters of the Birchwood Creek cross over collapsed bridge abutments in King George, VA along Route 3. Very close to historic Lambs Creek Church. The colonial days may have seen this bridge in its functioning glory. But, present time has the bridge face down in the sandy silt of Birchwood Creek. The ruins of the bridge are still alive. The concrete construction of its final form is available to the eye. I imagine its original creation was of sturdy hardwood. You know, red oak from the horse and carriage days. The bridge probably offered a short cut from Lambs Creek Church over to King George.

I've had personal sessions with Birchwood, "Old Birchy." I got my pants dirty. I slipped on her Southbank. My Crocs had no traction. I realized the fine sand of the Tidewater is slippery when wet. Good thing my knee didn't dig into a shard of glass. The bridge locale must have been a trash dump decades ago. Once the colonials were through with the structure. Now, the new schoolers won't find this broken down structure. Another forgotten place in the VA, but now it's on my radar screen. I can go to Birchwood in my dreams and slip into her waters for a sandy bath. I can see the water flowing over the smoothed sand and the rounded quartz rocks glowing from under the water when the sunlight wakes them up. Judging by the rubbish along her wooded shoreline, the last visitors passed through in the 1980's. Guessing from the style of emptied beer bottles.

Circa 2022 (six years later): Triumphantly returned to the shores of Birchwood Run. Not much has changed now, or in the last decades, maybe century. From my view point, from my lens, the dirt is still dirty, the Birchwood is still flaky, the aggregate of the Run's bottom is still pebbly. The bridge abutments are still burned out. Historic Lambs Creek Church is still in the distance, hauntingly historic. Periwinkle and Birch trees are a sight for delight. To me, these ruins are far from ruined. I pinned myself into the water to be able to pen this. I like to think I have a voice for those who are passed and who passed over this bridge in the past.