To the Editor,
With much excitement and anticipation all those years ago,
We welcomed you to our humble city
You brought so much joy and well-being over the years
With thousands enjoying your warmth during our cold wet winters
Teaching our children to swim, and helping our elders remain strong
But now you are in your twilight years
You are showing your age with every passing year
Your tank is old, your tile no longer shiny
Your plumbing a bit rusty
Oh, sweet pool, you have given above and beyond
Newer and more youthful pools abound today
Providing new experiences, we could not have imagined possible
Loopy slides, lazy rivers, shooting sprays of water
With renewed anticipation we wait for your replacement
The next generations to enjoy your successor as we did you
But alas, it seems we may need to keep you on life support
It seems the powers that be cannot agree on how to replace you
Even though we have known for years that your time was close
We have no money saved
No plan for how to pay for the new you
Instead, we spent all our money on other things
Took you for granted thinking you would be there forever
Times are tough, replacements are costly
We should have considered your age and planned better
But those in charge looked the other way
We know you need to rest
And that you will do your best and give to the very end
And we will use you as long as you allow us
But sadly, the reality will be
When your time comes there will be no replacement
We will only have memories of better days
And second guessing what could have been
If only we listened
If only we cared
If only
Thank you for your service
Enjoy your rest
Randy Fraser,
Port Alberni
