Two and a half minutes

[Bernard]

The city is a profane mantra
an unholy blessing
the first and last sacrament
a riot at a wedding feast
a Samaritan bleeding on a road

The city is a thief
a crucified man-god.
a tomb
a scourging
a gathering of weeping women
a gathering of frightened men

The city is a soldier obeying orders
a poisoned well
a marketplace with loaves and fishes
an all night bar serving wine and water

The city is a sermon for those who have ears to hear
a stuttering madness
a blind leprous heart
a shower of stones thrown in judgement
a murderer on the loose

The city is a mother watching her son die
an unfinished impossible poem
an angry song sung by a voiceless people
a fatal wound

The city is a secret never to be revealed
a stock exchange dealing in souls
an indictable offence against all decency
an unlawful assault recklessly causing injury

The city is a horror
a terrible death
an incurable disease
a broken promise
a betrayal of friendship
a jealous violent lover

The city where I live