The city wakes before we do— sirens in the distance,
a cab splashing through last night’s rain,
and someone shouting just to be heard.
The coffee shop hums like a low conversation.
Steam curls from paper cups
as feet tap and lights change,
we pass each other
on sidewalks, eyes forward,
shoulders brushing stories we’ll never hear.
Pigeons fight over crumbs, buses sigh at every stop.
Above it all,
windows blink in office towers where
someone stares out wishing they were anywhere else.
Lunch smells like hot pretzels, spilled soda,
and too many people with nowhere to sit.
But then—
a group of people burst into laughter,
the sun catches a rooftop just right, and
music leaks from a passing car.
And somehow, that’s enough to carry us through the noise.
Photo credits: Pinterest
Kim is our lovely hostess on dVerse where she invites us to hook others
with our opening line. Come join us! 💙
Posted for Poetics: Getting hooked on opening lines @dVerse Poets Pub
28 Responses
The soundscape you describe really sounds frightening (I remember the sirens from a few of the live sessions)… but nothing like laughter to make it good.
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
An excellent way to start a poem, Sanaa, with noise, and you have me hooked! I love the way different sounds filter through your lines: coffee shop humming, feet tapping, busses sighing, and so on. You’ve painted a wonderful word picture of a scene.
Awwww gosh! Thank you so much, Kim 😍 so glad you enjoyed it! 💄❤️
(and thank you for the glorious prompt) 🥂
I love how the city sounds move from uncomfortable, maybe even overwhelming, to the positives of laughter and music. Beautiful.
Thank you so much, Nolcha 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
“shoulders brushing stories we’ll never hear.”
Excellent.
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I love the sights and sounds of the cityscape Sanaa. This is my favorite part as if the city comes alive:
the sun catches a rooftop just right, and
music leaks from a passing car.
Thank you so much, Grace 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
A beautiful day in the city! Well done.
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
so well drawn, Sanaa ~
Thank you so much, M 😀 so glad the poem and its imagery appealed to you 💄❤️
shoulders brushing stories we’ll never hear.
says it all for me, Sanaa, in this evocation of the brash solitary urban life, and its redemption by laughter…
and by the synchronicity of the universe, there is a “shoulder” in my poetic today, too!
Thank you so much, Kathy 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
I really like this one, Sanaa! 💙 Great opening, and I like how you take us through the different sounds and scenes ending with the laughter.
Thank you so much, Merril 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Wonderful sensory experience. Great opener.
Thank you so much, Christopher 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
I loved your poem, Sanaa, from beginning to end!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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Sanaa, you managed to capture each of the sounds and sights one might experience in the city ~ in early morn and beyond. Great hook line and an amazing poem.
Awwww gosh! Thank you so much, Helen 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Ahh…you put me there with all the sights, sounds, scents and sentiment. So well-sketched, Sanaa!
Thank you so much, Jennifer 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
So atmospheric, Sanaa. You make us feel, see and hear the rhythms of life in the city.
Thank you so much, Dora 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️