Sounds of the City

owners bark out at their dogs trotting around corners

looking for a quiet place to silently defecate,

sirens of police are drowned out by the sirens

ambulances heading on more direct routes,

vehicle horns blast out for seemingly no purpose

as pedestrians walk in between parked cars and

engines growl out their impatience,

walking and talking above the crowd is an art,

especially when talking on the phone,

barkers and non-sexual harassers make ever

attempt to sell you a ticket inside,

drunkards piss in the alleys beside the homeless

who dare no snore too loud and hailers’

raise their arms in a Statue of Liberty gesture

hoping to retrieve a cabby to their location,

doors open and close and blasts of heat

warm those who pass through,

jack hammers tear up concrete right beside our feet

as we tip-toe past the congestion, and if,

if were not for the changing street lights, we

would have no quiet here at all.

23nov17