City lights,

Fireflies,

Half-hearted smiles 

And ugly cries.

 

Bustling roads,

Narrow and broad;

Abundant with shops and bars,

And people- their bodies, minds and souls scarred.

 

Edifices tall and sturdy.

Trapped in it are people content and happy;

And those walking on thorns, barbed and merciless;

And those breathing but lifeless.

 

The city is a place where time flies.

A place of bitter truths and honeyed lies;

Of unassuming minds and vile eyes;

Of remarkable virtues and horrendous crimes.

 

Bursting with affection, it's a home to the young and the old,

The meek and the bold,

The straight and the queer,

The rich and the meagre.

 

But in this sprightly city,

Where moments pass by quickly,

How many of us are truly living?

And how many merely breathing?

 

Shifa