JohnVincent (Interlude)
Richard Brooks
City Smoke
As read by John Vincent
There is a midland city in the heart off air
Open country, a dirty and wonderful city
Nesting dingily in the fog of its own smoke
The stranger must feel the dirt before he feels
The wonder, for the dirt will be upon him instantly
It will be upon him and within him, since he must breathe it
And he may care for no further proof that wealth is here better loved than cleanliness
But whether he cares or not
The negligently tended streets incessantly press home the point, and
So do the flecked and grimy citizens
At a breeze he must smother in whirlpools of dust, and if he should decline at any time to Inhale the smoke he has The meager alternative of death