over the Oakland rowhouses

oh, you blink at me

you, lights on dangerous buildings
and if i stare, and wink carefully
i can tell you which comes first
in this parade of
blinking red roof dots
and yellow wall squares.
you are the city's dance:
stationary movement
or the illusion thereof, caused
by removal and replacement.
how like us!
have we ever met anyone new,
or is this social dance of ours
just like the blinking lights?
sometimes this one over here
and then that one, there, turns on,
blinking different colors
different channels of one divinity
and sometimes the faces change
but not the person within.
how many times have you said
i've met someone just like you before,
although you know it's a lie
it seems so true.
well, i said that today
but the truth is, i'm happy
meeting just this face of you
because it's wonderful
and just oh so delightfully different.
and on the tips of the buildings
the lights are still blinking,
and i'm still winking back
trying to follow the city's dance.
the steady, still motion
plants a peace in me.
you, there, you're blinking
exactly like you did last night,
and the airliner is landing slowly behind you
which tells me some things
are consistent and worthy
of trust, love, and winking back
from behind a solemn joy.
for, oh, you blink at me,
you who are the city's dance,
keeper of my peace.

8/29/07