(I)
Urban symphonies that play its strings
on steel-beast’s wheel on oily asphalt.
Sluggish, lightwormy — the spiderwebs,
of urban-life congested arteries,
cutting life to microsecond pieces
perspiring in the preparations;
of never heading off to sleep.
(II)
City plays with lidless eyes
in nightlife glitz, where wanderers
are finding bliss across the room,
flirting eye-lash find a lipsticked
collar — armed with cosmopolitans,
and Laughter from a prey turned pawn.
Savannah waterhole tonight.
(III)
Mica in her eyes, the home-less girl
Unpacks a soggy sleeping-bag,
precious card-board box underneath
Frost and sleet might still be less tonight
hoping, and wonder if she still recall
the sound of skylarks in the spring.
(IV)
Crossing off the sights, a tourist
updates Facebook stats, and
check how many stars she’ll eat tonight.
Burning green for likes, decides
on Lonely Planet tips of having learned
that lobster tastes the same as home.
Centre of a city by Grace Cossington Smith
Today Gabriella asks us to write poetry of cities at dVerse Poetics, weather it is city life I have put here, or more a specific city is really a matter of choice. Pub opens at 3 PM EST.
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December 9, 2014
Björn Rudbergs writings 
I enjoyed your various characterizations of city life, Bjorn. Interesting to me how the locations change but some of the ‘scenes’ are quite the same everywhere. But still there is that mystique of a new place, especially if it is a CITY!
The third stanza in your poem reminds me of a homeless girl I saw in Chicago when the weather was so freezing that everybody was willing to go inside and be warm. I guess I was the tourist checking the stars on my iphone app before eating.
Nice take here Björn. Cantos 1-3 show the gritty reality of life in your unnamed city, and the canto 4 shows the tourist who is less concerned with the reality as he/she is with finding a good meal and checking Facebook.
Bjorn, Thorough poetic description of all the things that make up a big city, good and bad. Well written. 🙂 — Susan
each one of these could stand alone… you really put the 3-D into your lines… more of a painting instead of poetry… well done
Very strong four stanzas, brother, the city of everyman, the city with no name, hardened heart, relentless energy, open all night, several million scenarios overlapping like stacks of cardboard for a shelter; oh yeah, fine work; like the lines /that plays its strings on/steel-beast’s wheel on oily asphalt/.
i really like the structure of this one björn and the different slices of city life that you serve up…the spiderwebs,
of urban-life congested arteries… very cool..
what an interesting contrast…between the tourist and the homeless girl…one here to see the sights…the other lost from sight…and life…the lights of the city can be quite mesmerizing…I wonder at the story behind the girl though….
My mind goes to the same places – the affluent face of the city, but some streets over, the lives of desperation going on among the poor. I havent posted yet though. Your portrait of the homeless girl is heartrending.
from the tourist, to the homeless; the rich, 5-star diners to the those who don’t know where their next meal is coming from…This is relatable to just about every city… well done.
I love how you capture the different aspects of city life and I just love the word lightwormy!
yes, perspective makes a world of difference in what we see…
I enjoyed the different snapshots of city life. Really liked the urban symphonies, the lightwormy term… all of it.
The homeless girl’s plight really got me right in the feels, though. Great work.
I also like the form you used. The sentiment behind all of them sees discouraging or negative and you left out the positives on purpose,
didn’t you? The real stuff is what we got, no smoke and mirrors on this subject.;)
This is brilliant! It gives a great view of the city and the different facets. And how, like almost every place, the tourist has become encumbered. Lovely last lines –
Crossing off the sights, a tourist
updates Facebook stats, and
check how many stars she’ll eat tonight
Bjorn, I liked the different focus you brought to bear on city life. Weather is rain and snow and rain and sunshine, whether you like them or not.
love the vivid pictures you have created here..
Like Gabriella, you too address the city of contrasts – how it can mean such different things to different people – very powerful.
You capture the vibrancy of the city so well Bjorn, I feel I have been to such places.
The lights, the glitz, the sleepless and the homeless…you captured the character(s) of the city.
This gave me such a sense of melancholy, of emptiness. Especially sad, the image of the homeless girl.
i like a lot of the images. soggy sleeping bags (like when people re waiting to see star wars for a whole week?) and the urban string symphony and the lonely planet, kind of like the daily planet?
popsicle on a stick