Our Urban Companion

City city, rising high

all strung out across the sky

what artist's smearings could interpret

thy jagged profile, so raggedly imperfect?

Since your swift gold rush run was done

and your thrashing railway web's been spun,

have you embossed yourself in gold-tinged filagree?

Did we who trod the prairies plod thee?



(Aside)

Oh lookee here.

Yonder cometh the world traveler

Methinks

he hath the fat and hungry look:

Pigeon pigeon, strutting like a dude

with bold entreaties for some food

how long hast thou been loitering without fear?

You got a permit to solicit here?



Who gave you permission to hang around?

acting like you own this town.

'Though you resemble your country cousin dove,

thou huntest not, but just beg and grub.



I surmise that in some faraway jungle

thou was chased away by some uncivilized uncle;

and now, thy feathery incandescent suit

cloaks with grandeur thy wand'ring grubby pursuit.



Oh ye little urbanized beggar

art thou a diner at this establishment, a regular?

Hast thou honed and perfected y'er plodding pleading game?

Hast thou an identity? Who gavest thee thy name?



Every city whence I travel

thou are there on the sidewalk, in the gravel,

sometimes poking in the parks where it's grassy

other times pecking pavement, bold and sassy.



When I get to heaven wilt thou be there too?

Groveling and grubby down near my shoe.

But perhaps thou wilt there soar free.

Did He who form the eagle form thee?



Fare thee well my gentle companion,

with winged flapping in flight-paths random.

Cherish every encounter and generous friend

until in yon celestial city we do meet again.



Get along now!

You can't be grazing here like a cow.

We shall see what will be

between you and me in eternity.

Glass Chimera

Something happening here

People have always been coming together for one reason or another, haven't they?
Let's get together so we can overcome these fierce animals.
Let's go out and hunt some animals so we'll have meat.
Let's gather these fruits; let's collect these seeds; then we'll crush them together and eat them.
Let's build a fire and cook what we find.
Let's keep warm. We'll tell some stories. We'll drink the fermented grape and feel safe together for a while.
Let's go see what the next tribe is doing.
Oh look, they've got these potatoes we've never seen before; they want to give us some in exchange for our buffalo.
Wow, they are drinking milk from their animals. Wonder what that tastes like.
Here comes this man we've been hearing about, this Nimrod man. He says he can protect us in exchange for our labor in his fields.
Now he wants to build a big dwelling place; his people say they will feed us and give us shelter if we help them while they are stacking the big stones for the great house.
Look. They are chipping the stones to make them fit closer. What's that in his hand?
We need one of those.
They say we can use their tools if we help them build the great house.
Now they want to build a Great House for god.
Which god? Their god or our God?



Let's go; I'm hungry. They seem to know what they're doing. We'll follow them.
Oh, look at the color of that woman's garment. How did she make it that color?
I want that color on mine.



Let's go. There's something happening there.
They have more than they need; they will put the color on our garments while we help them build the Great House.
One Great House. Two great houses, three, four. . . many great houses
Look. Very big house! So tall. How did they do that?
We need to know how they build Great House so great!
Oh no, what are they arguing about?
Oh no, what are they fighting about?
We better get out of here. We go back where our great Fathers and Mothers started, back down the road, out in countryside where we can grow our own as Fathers and Mothers did back in the day.
No. We stay here. We must stay here.
Great People say we must stay here, work for them. It'll all work out.
Well, ok then, you stay, but I go. I take my family and leave.
Where you go?
I go to Ur. Something happening there.
You leave Accad to go to Ur? Dangerous place.
Not as dangerous as here, and they pay better.
See ya, been nice knowing you. I go to Ur now.
He go to Ur. He go to Ninevah. They go to India. These go to Egypt. Those go to Syria, Persia, Asia.
Athens, Rome.



Something happening there. We want in. We want bread and circuses.
Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley.
Look! Never seen that before. Cool!
Nothing new under the sun! Well maybe.




Glass Chimera