In The Big Smoke

City lights trip fool my mind
asphalt escaping in the busy afternoon heat
dogs walked in parks
grey people on green grass
with doggie smiles
temporarily
waking to the roar of traffic
birdcalls muffled like reminders of reality
shooting past trains carrying sardines
graffiti on school walls
shopping malls beckon like churches
crowded with worshippers
waiting for the silence of doom.