A sabotaged day–
sky blends with cement,
good intent bloated,
a swirl of Earl Grey;
the city is an ashtray.
Thought I stubbed out
your twisted face,
the daily heart attacks,
blew your lingering
smoke away.
Now, I’m on the triple bypass
highway, thinking, love is carcinogenic,
and I’m an iron-lung cynic
pulling away,
no dragging away.
Still, the city’s smokestacks
sure are sexy,
and secretly,
I want the city
to pollute me.
Poison is the prize
when Philadelphia lies
below a grey wig disguise.
Yard Sale of Thoughts 
Ooh, these were some super vivid descriptions, K! 🙂 Really brings the scene to life ❤
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Thank you. Lurched in and out of the city last weekend. Smoky memories, that place.
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Can definitely picture it well! 🙂
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I remember landing at Heathrow once and it was not possible to know when we touched down. Thi drizzle and the runway were the same colour.
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Sounds very similar to this day. Is it just that grey permeates, you think?
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I guess it’s Not always Sunny in Philadelphia😏
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Indeed. It is always fumey, though.😂
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This is a splendid response to that phrase. Really like this a lot, K.
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Thank you kindly, Misky. It was the perfect twig to get this fire started. I’m sorry I didn’t get around to a food poem. Tuesday’s are brutally busy, but I really enjoyed reading all the responses. 💜
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Funny thing about Twiglets – sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t. ❤️
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Loving those last lines so packed with atmosphere!
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Thank you. 💜Foggy day in Philly. This poem felt right.
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Oh, this reminds me of growing up and living in Los Angels. Some of the worst pollution. Your concluding line is epic, by the way. Awesome write, K. 💜
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Thank you kindly, Jeff. 💜Minus the smog, do you miss L.A.? Does strike me as a place with a lot of other types of pollution to avoid.
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a lot of vitriol in this one, though it’s upended in the penultimate stanza : love’s reflex 🙂
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It’s strange as I do like Philly, but those emotions lurching in and out in the rain. Well, I think the angst shown through.
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it certainly does —
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A dark poem, with great use of gritty urban imagery.
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Thank you. I think the city had a sort of addictive quality as well as that sort of bad for you after effect.
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This is sooo good. Depressing but so vivid
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Thank you. It was fun try and capture the city’s mood.
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Wonderfully capturing your reaction to the city – love the imagery K.
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