I’m speaking to the city tonight

In silence.

The city answers back, loudly.

Its many noises greet my balcony.

The honking of horns,

The ringing of whistles,

The bang of tires upon uneven concrete.

Orange brick lit by yellow lights,

Ubiquitous.

Trees dig through walls,

Foundations,

Tall as buildings.

Clothes line metal gates.

Fire escapes…

Somewhere up high,

Where the moon is just the tip of a finger nail

And the North Star places location

On a compass for where I would sail

Away from the Chinese Navy song

That trails and booms

Through this city.

Fuzhou.

A coastal city.

I can’t see the coast.

The city is speaking to me tonight

In place of that distant sea.

It’s all so close.

Motorcycles zoom away,

Pass through the complex’s gate,

On to the city,

Downtown, with lights, bright lights.

Away from this quiet commotion,

Towards all of the action.

It’s happening.

The buildings hold still.

They keep me company.

Blue and yellow lights from windows.

Some lights poke through the foliage.

That one looks like a Christmas tree.

People move up and down

Stairs exposed, outside.

The people on those stairs, outside,

They’re as remote as lemmings.

Air conditioners adorn walls

Like old speaker boxes

While the Navy song still booms.

The city is speaking to me,

Loudly.

But I would follow the North Star,

The only star in the sky,

To find where you are.

This Westerner would follow course.

But now, in Fuzhou,

Somewhere out there

Would find you in a city Far East…

Can you hear the sound of the city?

Are you listening?