A City At Rest - Poem

 

A CITY AT REST
 
(copyright 2020, by Dave Kiffer)
 
Your steps should only echo
In the early morning hours,
And not even then. because
There are sirens, the hum
Of cab engines and the restless
Buzz of a hundred negotiations
 
So, this mid-day reflection
On the empty storefronts
Feels false, Like January sun
Through a living room window
Or a February robin who is
Not early, but lost
 
The collective heart beat
Has slowed in hibernation,
We only hope it is not flatline,
Simply a pause, a restful one
Based on ten thousand souls,
Each one holding its breath

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