Circadian Rhythms of the City

Circadian rhythms play
ants scurry through labyrinth
birds flutter through canopy
homo sapiens with purpose
scatter through concrete piers
pigeons skirt their busy feet
the sun dial trawls overhead
ferrying time in its wake
each callous step numbered
every truant deed copied
recorded on the day's clean slate
footnoted in the annals of time
Twelve-0-Clock high, sun streams blanch
blades of green shrivel
grates steam, pavement sweats
human pores freely perspire
Five-O-Clock, red disk descends
ants scamper with dividend
birds sing their last anthem
human wheels scamper down causeways
Seven-O-Clock, flaming parabola sinks low
last vestiges of light flitter
a grainy film enfilades the beams
as a gray mast unfurls, and
a melancholy breeze hums a lullaby
shadows mount the skyscrapers
a peaceful vigil ensues
crickets serenade the encroaching darkness
and the abandoned city
settles into a peaceful sleep