As I walk along
this slightly neglected street
in this slightly neglected city

where the sidewalk and the asphalt
are all cracked with lines, like your palm

and the dusty storefronts,
their signs plain and worn,
seem a little too crowded together,

a bulldozer turning the corner
almost hits me
as I cross the street

and a live shop-girl
fixes the window dressing
amid the mannequins.

Though the eyes of
people on the sidewalk
fight to remain in denial
of the knowledge
that they're all closest kin,

I feel myself starting to relax,
just a ripple in a current
flowing in an ancient river
held in God's open hand.

Max Reif

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/06aug2-something-about-a-city/