through rain n’pine n’fire burns
trek among the old furnace roads
through sand’y brush
and the devil’s curse
once hot coals
now barren ruins
where homes once stood
an evergreen tomb-
in the barrens
I am reminiscing or pondering the wonder here in my home state… New Jersey. The Pine Barrens… a huge swath (1 million or so acres) sort of hidden in one of the most population dense states in all of America. NJ was once the caviar capital of the world to the point that caviar was put out as a free snack at your local drinking establishment. NJ was also a huge hub for producing Iron Ore… so there are literal furnaces in ruins in many spots… and towns that were named after said furnaces… and many lost to history… read up on the old barrens… (and that old story about a devil or something…)
