The winding streets,
Turning and threading 
Through the concrete 
And steel bowels of 
The city like serpents, 
The flashing lights and 
The symphony of noise,
The madness and the 
Neon lights flooding 
This city with life, 
Like blood flowing 
Through the veins
Of a body.

We all heaved to the 
Rhythm of this city,
A mass of humanity, 
And you could lose 
Or find yourself;
Everyone was
Anonymous,
Everyone was
Expendable,
Souls searching
For meaning.

Dramatic, 
Transcendent and 
Mundane moments 
Being played out 
In every corner; 
Love, life,
Death, choices, 
Creation,
Retreat and 
Redemption.

The tattooed hipsters, 
The suits and the stilettos,
The whores and the dandies,
The sold souls competing 
For trinkets and baubles,
Men with no honour,
The corner shops with 
The lights on at night, 
The artists and poets 
Capturing beautiful 
Moments for posterity,
And the cowards,
The zombie men 
And women who 
Capitulated and who
Became the walking dead. 

This city has 
A beating heart,
And l flowed through 
Its veins and lived a 
Beautiful chaos;
I found myself,
A meaning,
An authenticity, 
And I moved forward,
And that’s what 
Counted.

I drank a neat scotch 
And looked down 
Through my window
At a carpet of lights
Flashing across the 
City like sentinels;
I closed my eyes and 
Took in a deep breath 
Of the cool night air,
And sucked it all in.

I listened to jazz notes 
From an apartment 
Mingle with the muffled 
Rock music from a night
Club at the corner,
The siren of a passing 
Cop car wailing,
Pungent incense 
Floating up through 
The cracks of a door,
A drunk couple 
Arguing on a street 
Corner on their way home,
And the smell of 
Onions and cabbage, 
Garbage cans and wet bricks
All mingled and rose up to heaven 
Like some burnt offerings
To God.

I looked up at 
The stars and 
Made my own 
Sacrifice and 
Communed with 
My gods and 
The beating heart 
Of this city, 
I contributed 
To the symphony,
I was a part 
Of something,
And I felt alive 
And in the moment;
A member of humanity,
Passengers on a journey 
Through life.

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Don't miss Nikos Laios eBook
The Silent Symphony
A collection of poems and paintings,
you can download for FREE, HERE!

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Also check Nikos Laios' EBOOK
Ida & Her Magic Camera
is online now and you can download for FREE HERE!