jagged rocks dusted red
bleed rose water from ancient springs
who was baptized here
saved and sustained by sacrificial land
skyscrapers and cars
the skeleton of a nation comes from this belly
but the immigrant forge
and children formed in heat and cold
are forgotten
the heritage of a nation
is traced upon rails, highway and shipping lanes
as a vein leads to the heart
back to this place
Carter Norman is a high school teacher and has been a resident of the Saint Paul area for more than twenty years. He and his wife have five energetic boys. Carter writes about Minnesota’s Iron Range, where he grew up. He believes that nature has a song that can resonate through each of us in a unique, profound, and indelible way.
Painter Tom McGregor has had a studio in Lowertown since 1990. His love for this historic area of Saint Paul and the West Side neighborhood, where he lives with his wife, artist Jerri Jo Brandt, is evident in many of his plein air paintings. An active community member, his involvement with the Saint Paul Art Crawl dates back nearly twenty years. www.mcgregorart.com