the subway rises
from the mouth
of darkness
pulling cars across
metal track
to the top
of the mountain
the skyline
like a picture
postcard
at sunset
a symphony
at full tilt
a mass of steel
and glass
thousands
of lighted squares
and twinkling
red lights
reminds you
that this city
in its ebb and flow
was here before you arrived
and will remain long
after you are gone
(D James)
tattooed girls
drunken boys
and cigarette smoke
everywhere
warm nights
with pimps
and hookers
working the streets
this was
the way it was
before cell phones
atm’s and the internet
when you got
on the subway
with a token
and a phone call
cost a dime
nothing wrong
with how it is now
it’s just nice to think back
now and again
to a simpler time
(D. James)
What is the sound
of nothing falling
in the city?
(D. James)
Tonight
a violent wind
blows the city
to dust
Trees bend
people squint
as if in bright
sunlight
A haze
envelops the streets
women wrestle their skirts
hair tossed
every which way
A violent wind
shreds the city
tonight
Palm fronds litter
Sunset Boulevard
the homeless huddle
like refugees
in the entryway
of a long abandoned
nightclub
The weather
is the one thing
this town cannot control
(D. James)
