The Truth Inside

I wanted to tame the city

Like a man tames a lion

But instead

Like a woman

Tames a man

I was subdued by

Its splendor and its beauty

Skyscrapers stretched upward

Like long silvery legs

Pointing to the sky

Which hosted no moon

Helicopters flew above

Like fireflies

Lost in the dark

Realizing then

I was also enamored

By the darkness

The city drew me

Into its darkest holes

Ran by subways, vagrants

And the working class

Springing from the unknown

Falling like a hatchling

Born anew

Above the concrete and the dirt

My eyes adjusted fresh

To a different grandeur

Not seen where I was born

A place where life

And death commingle

The streets and its people

On leash by the city’s

Greatest charm

Unattainable wealth

But the grates

And the manhole covers

Hide the truth inside

Of which

I will not speak of

The rats are sensitive

And time is limited

And at least sleep

You won’t need

In this city

That never does