3 responses to “How we will remember April 2026”

1. Handle Bard

   April 30, 2026

   “The Night They Cut Old Burlingame Trees Down”
   (to the tune of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”)

   Virgil Cane was a resident man,
   Lived on a street lined with old Eucs and tan,
   Shade so deep you could barely see noon,
   Branches whisperin’ a coastal tune.

   Then one day the notice came ‘round,
   Said the roots were breakin’ up the ground,
   Sidewalk cracks and the pipes below,
   “Gotta take ‘em out,” the city told.

   And it was the night they cut old Burlingame trees down,
   And the breeze didn’t sound the same.
   All the leaves that once danced through town,
   Fell away like a memory’s flame.

   Back when summers were cool and long,
   Kids played ball and the streets sang songs,
   Porch lights flickered through branches wide,
   Neighbors laughin’ at eventide.

   Now the skyline feels strange and bare,
   Sunlight heavy in the open air,
   No more shadows to ease the day,
   Just the hum of the traffic way.

   And it was the night they cut old Burlingame trees down,
   You could hear every chain saw cry.
   Roots that held all the years in the ground,
   Felt like sayin’ a long goodbye.

   Some say progress don’t wait for tears,
   Some say plantin’ will fix the years,
   But those giants don’t grow overnight,
   Takes a lifetime to make that sight.

   So I stand where the branches were,
   Hear the echoes that still occur,
   In the wind through the empty sky,
   Like the past just passin’ by.

   And it was the night they cut old Burlingame trees down,
   And the town felt a little less home.
   All the roots that once held us bound,
   Now are stories we carry alone.

2. Jennifer Pfaff

   April 30, 2026

   Well, again–very, very impressive. ‘Love the theme. Please hold on to this one because Caltrans will at some point in the not so distant future be asking for submittals for their 100-year time capsule to be buried at a planned seating area at Rosedale on the northend. I remember you work with AI as your writing “partner” and assume this is another sample. Would an AI entry be okay!?!? ‘Not sure, but as a sign of the times, it seems like an appropriate submission for a capsule that is supposed to capture our Zeitgeist.

3. Handle Bard

   May 1, 2026

   Good ma’am, take leave to wield my humble art,
   No coin I ask, nor bond of debt or fee;
   Let not restraint encumber mind or heart,
   For freely given, so it flows to thee.
   In ink once bound, now set to wander wide,
   My words find life where’er thy will may guide.

   Use then this craft as suits thy noble aim,
   In stage, in script, in ventures yet untried;
   So long as thou dost not defile its name,
   My blessing walks forever at thy side.
   What once was mine I yield without demand—
   A gift unpriced, now resting in thy hand.