Departmentalized

Billows of milty dust drift away,
Away from the site. They're tearing down
The old anchor store, built before
Indoor malls were the rage.

The multi-level parking garage!
The concrete pillars!
The mystery of the spiral ramp!

At first it looked like they might preserve
The blocky structure--they peeled away
The outer layers, down to its primal
Greenish bricks, stripped off facades
Of glass and plaster, left a hopeful shell
Of beams and slabs.
But now they demolish.

The candy shop! The birds at McCrory's!
The hokey Polynesian place
With colorful, dot-punched, backlit panels!

Sing a requiem for those moments
Spent in the early emporium's aisles
'Midst racks of lacy lingerie, cosmetic counters,
Watches For Him, Jewelry For Her,
Formal Attire, Casual, Youth,
Monthly revolving charge accounts,
Cookware, sleepwear, footwear. Nowhere
Else so merits your hard-earned dollars;
That era is over, now watch its destruction
And breathe in the motes of onetime splendor.