POEM #8- THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA

Leaning Tower of Pisa, photo by Alkarex Malin ager, Wikimedia Commons

 I am participating in Mary Lee Hahn's "Our Wonderful World" this month. Mary Lee has compiled a list of thirty wonders, and each day she is writing a poem about a different one. Today's wonder is the the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I began as I have several other nights (around 8:00). First I googled the Leaning Tower of Pisa, then I read a few articles, until I found something that interested me. Tonight, I found it in an article entitled, "Will the Leaning Tower of Pisa Ever Fall?" on How Stuff Works.

And now I have to go do a little schoolwork.

“Leaning Tower of Pisa”

The tower, it’s said

began to lean

almost from its inception

shallow foundation

soft sandy soil

and the lean began

For 800 years

through several wars

thousands of visitors

tower tilted

and tilted

and tilted.

Workers wished

to compensate

adjusted architecture

drilled deeply

and still the edifice leaned.

Tower closed

experts examined

made miniscule measurements

reinforced

with bands and bricks

concrete and cables

drilled down

suctioned soil

applied pressure

measured

repeated

repeated

repeated

until

  finally

     the 

        leaning 

           tower

              leaned 

                a 

                 little

                  less.

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2014