GAZING OUT*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gaze out.
Skyscrapers rise,
Silhouettes in the night.
Stars whisper secrets above.
City dreams twinkle and sigh,
Reflections of hopes in glass.
I ponder the lives within,
Each light a story.
Unfolding.
Gaze out.
*Note: This poem was written for and published at Haiku Shack/Creative Ramblings Weekly Prompt contest, 8/3/2025
Once there stood a golden field,
Swaying crops, a farmer's yield.
Morning songs of birds took flight,
Beneath the sky so vast and bright.
The village paths, of dust and stone,
Where children laughed and cattle roamed,
Now paved with tar, so smooth and wide,
Where restless cars and buses glide.
The thatched-roof homes with lantern’s glow,
Replaced by lights in glassy rows.
The banyan tree where elders met,
Now stands alone in cold cement.
The riverbanks where stories flowed,
Now buried deep where buildings grow.
The marketplace of voices loud,
Now lost beneath a concrete crowd.
Yet in the heart of progress’ run,
Echoes of the past still hum.
For roots of earth, though hidden deep,
In memories, they softly keep.
- Phin Jiu
Joanne jumps like a deranged jack rabbit, my grandma said.
I have seen her leap over sofas, cars, and a firetruck red.
Her legs are longer than your Dad’s or Uncle Ed.
She hops over skyscrapers, my confused grandma said.
From way up high I wish you could see
All of God’s beauties surrounding me
Mountain tops covered in dazzling white snow
Sapphire blue clouds reflecting in oceans below
Carefree and gentle the rivers would flow
While animals are grazing happily down low
Colorful patches the flowers they grow
Orchards and trees
Butterflies and bees
Oh what a delightful scene!
Fields spread wide of emerald green
Silver sandy beaches and deserts all dry
All can be seen while soaring high
The hustle and bustle of the human race
How life passes at a rapid pace
Skyscrapers and penthouses towering high
Looking down, enamored eye
Such a wondrous sight to see
If only you were perched on the ledge besides me
I'm spending my vacation in my little room.
Didn't plan it that way.
My loves suddenly decided not to work with me.
Must be the Xmas blues.
I'm living off stocking stuffers, Designer coffee
Pistachios and a Jupiter-sized bag of m&ms.
This situation is necessary for now, but unsustainable.
I'm also binging on documentaries.
About self-absorbed souls trying to gain a foothold.
Find their nest in the muck and mayhem of living.
Catching curveballs with unmasked faces.
Stitching themselves up with the devil's thread.
Branding the world with their flavor of selfishness.
Climbing skyscrapers only to become one with sediment.
I'm not nearly as screwed in the head as them.
OUR WORDS STACKED AS SKYSCRAPERS
THE world is committed to insanity;
our words stacked as skyscrapers
allow ants characters to escape
flooding water
as drowned bodies float
past the windows of office space.
:: 04-25-2019 ::
e.p.robles (c) 2019
A bottle of wine, glasses poured to the brim,
There sat you and I, the lights were all dim.
A pair of hearts speaking louder than it should,
All was still, we didn't escape it even if we could.
It flowed like silk, our thoughts we shared.
Eager to know more, we asked, we dared.
The moon shone its light on who was once a stranger,
The stars danced purposely as if to show off their glimmer.
We spoke of philosophies, of heartbreaks and of dreams,
Time was still, everything else stood on the seams.
It was enough for us to realize how grateful we were;
Under the starlit skies, among skyscrapers, nothing is forever.
And if all we were ever meant to have was this one moment,
My heart will hold what we shared in a fragment.
In a world of luck, chance, mystery and wonder;
The stars aligned to bring our two old souls together.
Did you see her? I guess you didn't.
Since then, she never went out again. She hid all herself for years inside those tall apartments and buildings. She walked through strap-like hallways and crawled under low surfaced ceilings. She used to be inside since then. She concealed her melancholiness and never gave the world a chance to see her once more. She was an outside person actually, but not anymore.
I just lately learned all of these about her. I searched for all the streets in London and Paris, but never found a hint of her. Not knowing she's immured behind those thick walls of concrete edifices.
Now, I cautiously observe every single window of an apartment, building, and skyscraper. I keep an eye on every single windowpane, hoping one day you'll cabbage the curtains and take a glance. Lucky enough if you'll open the glass that separates you from me. Luckier if you'll dare to open a door, and let the world to see your face we missed the most.
The land of Golden Deserts and Silver Skyscrapers – U.A.E
Vast areas are covered by golden sand,
That runs like liquid through your hand,
The skyscrapers reach into the blue sky,
Waving below to every fascinated passer-by.
The golden dunes stretch for miles around,
The skyscraper’s foundations run aground,
The camels roam on the desert sand,
And the skyscrapers give shade beneath their hand.
The people gaze from side to side,
The desert stands open with great big pride,
The people gaze up to down,
The skyscrapers sit tall wearing their crown.
This wonderful area lies,
Seen from the road and from the skies,
Decorated with skyscrapers and sand,
Their beauty precedes in this wonderful land.
We mourn atop skyscrapers
As our forefathers
Mourned amongst baobab trees in Uganda
Because we have been forsaken,
It is judgment day,
And we’re fearful.
FIERY SKYSCRAPERS
City is dull as a fired gun
When the sun goes down
Lights not yet lit, buildings dun :
Sunset’s last gleaming on the town.
Reflection from buildings follows
The lowering flaming sun. Glaring,
He makes gilded castles, mirrors windows
With orange-yellow fiery flaring.
Armor-plated against the forces of darkness
These Gideon-polished glass shields *
Inflict sun-reflect on an enemy helpless.
A golden weapon he wields.
Standing proud above they seem
Fearless of the dark, signaling to me -
As the Shining Towers of Illium gleamed *
When Helen first spied them from the sea.
…………………………………………………………………………………….
NOTES
At sunset the windows of many skyscrapers are dazzling in the reflected sunlight, often turning the entire building to shimmering gold.
* Illium = Troy. Helen was the woman ultimately responsible for the destruction of Troy.
* Gideon was a famous leader of the Israelites in Biblical times, winning a battle by polishing his soldiers’ shields and blinding his foes with reflected sunlight.
On every continent
They rise so tall
So different they are
Some are even small
Their architecture
Delights the eye
Its taken many years for them
To reach our skies
Their contour and shape
Are a horizon of delight
Captured by the sun and the moon
Day or night
Our eyes are our windows
To admire and view
Where ever you are
They are close to you
The tallest and proud
Through the clouds and the vapours
These iconic giants
Are our natural skyscrapers
http://www.thehighlanderspoems.com/nature-6.php
Architectural
Giants, our desire to build
Higher than before
http://www.thehighlanderspoems.com/life-2.php
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