Friday, September 21, 2007

Don't Look Down

 


Don’t look down, it’s a long long way to fall...

from the top of your ivory tower
from the lapis lip of your private pool
from the golden height of your power
from the lap of wealth
to the bare dead earth
to the shantytown where the vultures rule
to the street that’s an open sewer
to the broken pavement
to the open grave meant
for the kids who never went to school
for the hopes that every day grow fewer
for the folks who live on garbage and gruel

Oh, don’t look down.

Sit on sand-castles til the tide comes in
don’t look down
Try out for tennis in a rising wind
don’t look down
This is the way it has always been
clocks don’t tick and nothing begins
but the gleam on your tower is the Reaper’s grin
so don’t look down.

Sao Paulo, Brazil. Image from Deputy Dog.

8 comments:

Sara said...

Thanks for joining in Poetry Friday. Is this the first time you've found us?

Susan T. said...

Is that your poem? Very powerful--as is the photo.

sister AE said...

I like this one a lot Tiel. It reminds me a lot of a glimpse I got of Caracas, Venezuela back in the 1970's.

Crafty Green Poet said...

very telling photo.

Andromeda Jazmon said...

Wow. That is an incredible photo and amazing poem. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

This is so powerful. Thanks for inspiring me.

Dan Gambiera said...

Welcome to Brazil's present and America's future.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful poem. It tumbles down from the penthouse with such a rhythmm and momentum into the favela. You have used your obvious ability as a poet, your skill, to demonstrate your spirit. Despite the darkness of its vision the poem reflects great fluidity of thought and delight in the language. Wonderful.