Tall buildings,
tarred roads,
memorable monuments,
amusement parks,
homes and dreams,
engulfed in ivy.
Busy streets
are still busy,
with rats and penguins.
The city looks green,
not in a way they dreamed,
abandoned and dying,
mesmerizing,
tiny little flowers
peeking from balconies
playing peekaboo
with bees and birds.
The city is still alive,
It will always be.
Your poem made me think of how the cities felt during the height of COVID – especially the lines:
…Busy streets
are still busy,
with rats and penguins…
And I loved your last two lines – it will always be. Stark and to the point.