Summer’s shifting shade does little to shield us
from the obvious. Heat, humidity, a melting pot
of humanity. Deep in the city.
Our landscapes deteriorate, neighbourhoods in
decline, as we strive to cope with this evolution.
Distended discomfort, rarely placated by fashion,
or politics, or the indifference of it all. Signs and
symbols cannot be ignored.
Boundaries erode between what we know and all
we have still to learn. Ignorance takes its place.
Respect the culture. Significance has its way of
seeping into common view, shrouding every day
with language we speak.
Unknowingly at first, style and substance reach
beyond all we are capable of understanding. Or try.
Routinely we attempt to quench our deep thirst for
something more. Once exotic, even erotic, now
commonplace. Right here.
The sense of self hungers for a piece of it all, but
we fear what we do not know, say, or hear.
History, yes, but is the old lost on vagabonds or
restless teenagers caught up in the seismic shift
of popular culture? Questions.
Answers may not be found in bastardized language
we have come to speak, by destiny more than design.
No longer defined by geography, topography or
empathy, our interpretation of cities, as we age,
disrupts our views of ourselves.
Will others see what so very few of us will realize?
Individually, as a community, we all must change.
© 2024 j.g. lewis
