This poem is about the planned revitalization of Riverhead and Riverside, towns on the Eastern End of New York’s Long Island. An excerpt of this poem was featured in the Riverhead News-Review, a local newspaper, on October 19.

Trying to change the town,
can be a trying task.
Changes needing to be made,
bring many questions to ask.

Where do you start,
who is put in charge?
Be the change small,
or be the change large.

Traffic, no doubt,
will need some work.
Stores will open,
giving the town a perk.

Will people see the vision,
when you explain it to them?
Will they gather ’round and give a hand,
and create a shining gem?

Riverside will be changing,
ask yourself what you can do.
Because it is a long process,
and can’t be done by just a few.

The plans on paper look good,
and the overall vision has begun.
My picture of the future,
sees it all in place, the job done.

Many will come to see,
the changes put in place.
The new buildings and attractions,
that will change Riverside’s face.

All the nearby towns,
will wane as they compare.
They’ll see the new life it brings,
and wish it had been there.

So get ready and roll up your sleeves,
there is lots more work to be done.
Contractors galore will invade us,
and Riverside will shine, bar none.