City spectrum

In one part of the city,
parents in brightly colored fleece
pay $30 each to push
fat-cheeked babies in hi-tech strollers
through an artificial rainforest,
while giant fabricated snowflakes dance
in the heated breeze above their heads.
Elsewhere,
below graffiti-covered walls
the homeless ones gather on the street,
chilled fingers playing music for pennies,
checking discarded coffee cups
for one last drop of caffeinated nectar.
Shivering under a blanket with his dog,
a young boy catches cold wet snowflakes
on his tongue.


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