I can see the lights
The magnificent towers
The majesty
The striking beauty
Of 
The City
From up here

Sitting at my window
The edge of a fire escape
As life in the apple unwinds
Below and beyond
The ultimate reality tape

Cars, cars in all directions
Slow and fast moving cars
The occasional honk and yell of…
The continuing man versus man versus machine wars

Yellow, red then green
And…
I can picture another scene
With startling clarity
The City
A massive vehicle from way, way beyond the sun
In the final stages of a journey whose time has come

A New York minute
Time standing still
The silence of the damned
As it demolishes with extra-terrestrial verve
A great man-made hill

Coming to a stop on a famous avenue
In full view 
Of
A disbelieving and awe-struck world
The thunderous shattering of proverbial glass
As the future slams into the past
As the truth wipes away generations of lies
In a horrific heartbeat
From once blinded eyes

I can see the lights
The magnificent towers
The majesty
The striking beauty
Of 
The City
From up here

Where will you be 
When
The City…