Terra-Form Poem by david e golledge

I don’t feel truly
at home in the metropolis,
The angles and concrete
solidity contradict the
softness and fluidity
of flesh and blood,
of grass and sea.

I wish I had Simak’s
Terraforming machine.
I’d metamorphosise myself
into a creature at home
amongst these glass monoliths,
see paradise in alleyways,
geometrically perfect avenues,
Euclidean curves in cul-de-sacs,
Precincts, the multi-storey.

I’d feel a gentle breeze in the
wind tunnels between high rise,
the warmth of the heat island,
inhale the fragrant vapours
of the dust bowl, hear the languid
exhalation of the parks at night.
I’d see rainbows in neon,
headlights and shop displays,
crystals and wonders drowning my eyes.

I’d wonder about the wide open
spaces beyond, the green
connecting city to city. Question why
anything would want to live there.