POEM: Insomniac City

Cities pretend to sleep.
They fool us.
Eyes close.
Darkness settles.
In the deep of the night,
a city is like a kindergartener during nap time —
fidgety and mischievous.

When Tokyo’s trains shut down at midnight,
far from hibernating in suspended animation,
the city traps people in a dimension
that most people never see —
a headachy, eye-rubbing,
fuzzy-minded
land of waking dreams.

6 thoughts on “POEM: Insomniac City”

Murakami has written at least 2 books that include weird stuff with the trains. From your poem you’ve experienced that twilight world as well.

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B Gourley on February 18, 2021 at 5:07 am said:

I’ve read “After Dark” which is one of said books. I’m a big Murakami fan. Thanks

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- msjadeli on February 18, 2021 at 5:30 am said:
  
  “After Dark” isn’t one I”ve read. “1Q84” and “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage” are the 2 I’m thinking of. Did you see he has a new book coming out? Short stories. You’re welcome.
  
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- B Gourley on February 18, 2021 at 7:10 am said:
  
  I read 1Q84, but it was back when it first came out and there’s going on in that book. I haven’t read “Colorless…” yet.
  
  I think I did see he has a new one coming out.
  
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