Open Poetry #35 |
Urban Sprawl (Fiefdom Dreams) |
ice Member Elite
since 2003-05-17
Posts 3404Pennsylvania |
Urban Sprawl "Haphazard growth or extension outward, especially that resulting from real estate development on the outskirts of a city." (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language) ************************************* One day in spring: Before the ice had gone From liquids in the ground, The place, that they called home Was rung, With an unusual sound... Over the trill of redwings, That called from the rivers-edge: Came hazard sounds of monsters, Drinking diesel with their mouths. Tanks with blades had come To level out their stolen claims, And armies hired by the gentry made Smooth the forest hills, and paths So that followers in comfort Here could flee From crime and grime That plagued their ruined city... (A few years later...) The does that sleep beneath The planted dogwood trees Are tame replacements For the ones who lived here once, When this place was wild and free... But today, they are but Animations, living ornaments Like cheaply hired extras; Painted props that drowse all day Beside a cardboard castle, On a privledged someones Glass and plastic stage. If reality is seen, the scene Is set upon a ruined space. In theatre of ill, and odd placed Charactors, Where human lives entangle With the native plants, and animals; The webs that salesmen-spiders weave, Has lured them into ancient nets Of avarice and greed. But promices on gold-leaf signs Remain unkept, what they describe In pasture themes, is gone That here had always been; And in their place are roads And those, that brought Their fiefdom dreams with them. |
||
© Copyright 2005 ford hume - All Rights Reserved | |||
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
All in the key of "haphazard". Man forgets to let nature hold stage forgets to "blend in" in order to be with one. Man forgets... too much. |
||
LeeJ Member Patricius
since 2003-06-19
Posts 13296 |
Sadly knowing what you describe, and so perfectly...thank you Ford |
||
Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
"they paved paradise, put in a parking lot" one of my favorites from Joni Mitchell I remember all too well what the bulldozers did to Southern California in the 50's and 60's. Stone deer and carved wooden bears, pink plastic flamingos, artificial lawns, plastic flowers and fake logs...all over Arizona, Washington, California, Florida, even here in some parts of Oregon. (I do admit though enjoying some metal scupted cranes) *sigh* I spent Sunday at Portland's formal Japanese gardens, sitting by the hira-niwasculpted sand patterns, strolling alongside the ponds and streams, enjoying the graceful shaping of branches laden with the buds of spring. It offered a moment as close to hiking a Japan mountain as I can get in the city. Not exactly Zen, as there were far too many people meandering and chatting (me for one) the pathways to achieve any sense of quiet being or purposeful thought. But it sure beats all that plastic. |
||
froggy Senior Member
since 2003-06-23
Posts 1893Michigan |
Ford, I agree with the others here. Within this heart you'll find love |
||
⇧ top of page ⇧ | ||
All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. |