The City – Reprise
You dream of other cities or another shore,
These streets you flee haunt you, as they are at your core;
Your past is crafted into all these walls,
Your footsteps echo back like they were distant calls;
No ship or road could take you far enough away,
And what you lost is lost within, thus you must stay.
You think this vicious city might have trapped you,
Black ruins your future whatever you may do;
But have you ever walked it's hidden alleys,
The quiet paths, forsaken hills and lonely valleys?
There in those corners that were once despair and fright
You find the city's soul - your soul - and ample light;
Replace escape plans and discover - connect the dots,
Embrace its winding streets, its dark and golden spots;
You will no longer seek another shore,
As you have found your home right at the city core.
Jan H. Hellberg (April 2025)
This poem was inspired by C. P. Cavafy’s „The City“.
A friend had sent me the poem „The City“, a psychologically charged poem about the inescapability of oneself, one’s past and choices. Although I liked it a lot I felt at that moment that it was too dark for me and I wanted to write a response to it. The result is the poem above. The first stanza is kind of a renarration of the original poem „The City“, after that follows my twist of the theme.
Sanaa is our host for dVerse’ Open Link Night where we post and poem wer like.
The image was created with Bing Image Creator.
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This is powerful writing! I especially admire; „Embrace its winding streets, its dark and golden spots; you will no longer seek another shore.“ ❤️❤️
Thank you, Sanaa!
Great theme – one I have been thinking about in my writing recently too.“And what you lost is lost within, thus you must stay.“ Love this line. 👏
Good food for thought. Some are better going and others staying. How to figure out which you are is a life journey. Nice to see you back at dVerse.
How lovely, Jan, a wonderful way to „turn that frown upside down“. I especially liked „You find the city’s soul – your soul – and ample light,“ which illustrates the benefits of an open mind and an open heart. Well done, my friend.
I like the sense of the city becoming a live organism which you are part of.
Thanks, Björn, indeed that is what I found appealing in the first place to write the poem as an answer to the original one.
Finding one’s self seems to be a life long adventure! Well done, Jan.
Thanks a lot!
You are welcome.