Smoke Town

I live in a town with a paper mill.
I've lived in this town* my entire life.
During the course of my life, the mill has changed names at least three or four times, but it has always stayed the same.
This town is 100% dependent on the mill to keep it running. It was built with the mill in mind. There are walking bridges put up that lead you directly to the mill, our main attraction for tourists (the falls) has a dam which generates power for the mill, and there is even a section of the town known as the "Brick Park" which is four streets of houses made completely of brick that were built by contractors as a place for mill-workers to live in order to be close to the mill.
At least two (and possibly more as I just don't know their occupations) of the five selectmen in Rumford are employees of the mill.
I am extremely torn about the paper mill because I have been watching it emit constant fumes from the smoke towers my entire life, and when I think about every time I have seen it let out gases, it hurts me because I know it is hurting the earth.
Even so, I am extremely aware that if it were not for the paper mill, this town would have an even lower population (which currently is at 5,500 as of the recent census), the stores would all close down, and it would become another lost ghost town.
As much as I care about the town and want to see it continue, it is hard for me to watch the smoke come from those towers every day.
And even harder is knowing that after this summer, I will no longer be living in this town and probably will never come back and live full time.
As much as removing the mill would be a problem, the fact that most people do, in the end, leave is just as big of an issue.
So, anyway, Erich and I were in his car or driving or something. I don't even remember, but he looked at the smoke above the trees and said "it looks like the town is on fire".
Needless to say, I didn't talk to Erich for about ten minutes as I was formulating this poem in my head.

This is the poem as it will appear in the 2011 Rumford poetry reading.

*Note* In saying "my town" I am actually referring to Rumford, Maine. Although you all know me to live in Mexico, the towns are connected in almost every way and I consider my home to be both Rumford and Mexico. I have lived in both towns.