My Town of Cambridge

My Town of Cambridge

I am the river, the mother that birthed your life. From my rippling water’s energy I shaped your signature personality giving rise to a town with many houses, buildings of commerce, industrious factories, and belled steeple towers where you worship. Happily you play along my river banks in numerous meadow park lands where families picnic in sunshine and frolic in spaces of game. Clever Achiever, I named you Hespeler to mark the place where you matured. You created a community of many industrious and masterful people, ever building and improving your kind.  Yet you lovingly embrace me with bridges of concrete to span my watery expanse and adorn those many crossings with flowers in summer and colored lights in months where the snow flies. Close by there is a middle sister; she lives down the flow a ways. You remember – we called her Preston. She takes the place of farming – of crops and harvest. Bountiful Giver, she called you her fatherly sibling; she mimics your ways.  She created the grist mills that grind the grains of my field lands into flour, to add daily bread to the common table and sweet cakes for celebration. And now there is still another that joins our family strong. Your little brother is Galt; he’s settled further downstream. Diligent dreamer, we tease him as he jealously strives to outdo your work. He’s already outnumbered your churches, added libraries, mercantile and theaters. He sings your adoration; he’s learned from the best. Galt so values your approval and cherishes your glowing regard. Oh yes, he’ll exceed your accomplishments by far. Now dear children the greatest tribute of all; you have forged a trinity to forever maintain our family concord. You called your bond Cambridge and amalgamated as one. This integration anchors our precious heritage while nurturing expanding growth, blending together the past, present and future. No other city is like us. Value the strength your character and uniqueness reveal, because those who will visit will marvel at the harmony among us. I pray that you stay close forever. I stay constantly the mother of your communities as you flow along time. You called me Speed River and but to Galt I’m the Grand. Come visit your mother often and never forget from where you sprang.

By Marianne Scott

April 21 2014