when venice sinks
we will be there
in our boats
watching
when venice sinks
we will see the phantom ripples
of gondolas murmuring through ghost towns
we will see the sun
set on its newest horizon
when venice sinks
we will have our new
atlantis
we will see sculptures harvested from the
sea floor
venetian masks subdued with barnacles
when venice sinks
fish will school in st. marks square
and all those bridges will be futile.
when los angeles burns
we will see our television screens
turn on and
off
like puppies pawing at the foot of an
empty bed
when los angeles burns
we will be star struck
with sunblock
write poetry about palm trees
and roads
plumed with dust
when los angeles burns
we shall construct new idols
in less sunny places
when los angeles burns
sands will reconvene on this
city of stars
when new york floods
We will see our skyscrapers slip into one story walk ups
when new york floods
when vendors vend
lifeboats and
swindlers sell
swim lessons
when new york floods
and times square becomes a public pool
pillaged by tourists
placated by pulsing lights
when new york floods
we will see the lady of liberty
gasping for breath
when paris suffocates
we will see the french air
famous for freshly baked bread
sour into ash
when paris suffocates
and the eiffel tower tilts into
tower of babel
consumed
by the heavens
when paris suffocates
we will see lovers choking on breath
from obscured romantic balconies
candles smothered by the
smoke
when san francisco crumbles
golden bridges into ocean ridges
a mansion no different from a tent
when san francisco crumbles
we will see power lines
suddenly powerless
when san francisco crumbles
and valleys shudders into plains
silicon melting into sea
cable cars plucked free
when our cities die
where will you be
?