Friday, June 13, 2014

Babel

Let us build ourselves a city
with roof-top gardens and bike lanes,
clean streets and green condos; polite
progressives with indoor voices
faithfully paying down school debt,
unworried by history or context.

Let us make a name for ourselves
with college words and whitened teeth,
fitness apps and yoga: moderation;
without discord moving forward.
Fitter, happier, more productive

lest we be scattered amongst dissimilar
visions, opinions and politics. Hearing
other voices raised in obscenities,
reminding us of the unhappy
others deemed unfit for the city.

Let us make a tower
with sound-proof windows.