Cities

I’m working on a major work on cities To tell people they are all the same, and different—

That we live through these cities To transform all our personal cities Into an Ideal City, The ideal remnants of our experiences, Our loving goodbyes to this world.

To know cities we must go off somewhere A year, two years, maybe five, Then come back. Go off to a desert, To the top of a mountain somewhere And live with the eagles’ Creeeeeeee In the high clouds,

Then come back and see The buildings reaching clouds, Crying out loud to the clouds And see how from far off They’re perfect abstract sculptures, Monuments of intellect soaring, Needle-spires towards God,

And from close up They become citadels of tears, Penthouses of pent-up emotion, And how a million people Have cried in the streets below.

I don’t hate these cities, I love them, I admire them As I do giant beasts in photographs, In zoos, in the wild, But I approach them with caution.

I only go round in cities When I have something to do. Otherwise, they appear as yawning traps, Pools of tears on each corner, Eyes of people inviting me To orgies of hate and terror.

To live in a city, Or even to live on a mountain With the people of a city Enshrined in one’s heart, One must know that there are no Random pathways in this world. All pathways are pathways of learning. Each person’s life is a path.

In cities we must tread lightly, Or we will step on other people’s hearts. Then we will see things We are not supposed to see.

Cities, I will know you a long time yet. I respect your enormity. Someday I will graduate from your school.