City Scenes Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

An old woman sits on a folding chair
Outside a dilapidated shop with peeling paint
Talking on her phone in bellicose sing-song tones
That sound alien to me but like home to someone.

An aggressive young man pushes past me on the street
Phone to his ear, eyes on his watch,
Barking opinions to someone on the other end
Who I imagine is just as distracted by his own importance.

A homeless man sits resignedly on the street,
Open sores on his leg need urgent care he won't get
But people walk past him as if he isn't there.
I fear that one day soon he won't be.

Ambition brings people to this city.
Some win; but most don't.
I walk these streets today,
But they will haunt me forever.

What do we lose when strive for success?
What do we miss when we focus on ourselves?
What happens inside us that allows us to look on the dying
And then look at our iPhones and forget?

I will return to my tiny life
In a quiet town beside the sea.
I may die a nobody.
But I will have lived at peace with myself.