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New England Reflections (Cont.): The Platypus Travels Part XXX

There is a fire in the eye
That catches on the blade
and peaked hats like church steeples
rise
Amidst the iron glade

Boston speaks with many voices, many memories.  It was a Puritan stronghold, then the bustling center of Yankeedom, the home of resistance to British tyranny, a powerhouse of abolition, a living museum.  In plain terms, the city has continued to reinvent itself over the years.  Above is a picture of Paul Revere's monument with the Old North Church in the background.  It's now in a section of the Italian quarter.  The church is still in use, however, and was closed to visitors on the day we visited due to a funeral.  Below, you can see the church that faces it, one of the last pieces designed by the famous architect Charles Bulfinch.  Following the changing demographics of Boston, it's now Catholic.  The final picture looks like a church or a state building at first glance but is really the old home of the traffic tunnel administration.  The building is now gutted and awaiting its resurrection in a new and glorified body.

And all their voices whispered:
Courage, sir!
For today we light a fire that
Shall not be put out   

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