Street Cacophony

Posted bywordsandcoffee1Posted inPoetry, WritingTags:, , , , , 
technicolor lights
brilliantly sear the night sky
street cacophony   
threaded cable vines that sway 
above our concrete jungle

This week’s Wea’ve Written Weekly prompt at the Skeptic’s Kaddish asks us to reflect on urban landscapes. Thanks to Jaideep for providing this week’s prompt, which is as follows:

  • Form: Tanka (5-7-5-7-7 syllables);
  • Goal: To bring attention to the beauty and complexities of urban landscapes through the traditional Japanese poetic form of the tanka.
  • Must include: the phrase “concrete jungle” and personification

I don’t often find myself in large cities. The city where I work has a population of only about 70,000 people, and we live in the countryside with only about 7 or 8 other houses in a square mile radius. Needless to say, it’s pretty rural and very peaceful.

I do enjoy traveling to the city, though! We often visit the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and last October, my husband and I visited Chicago for a weekend. I enjoy Chicago, though the traffic was…life-threatening, to put it mildly.

I’m not saying that everyone in Chicago is a bad driver, it’s just that everyone who happens to be driving there either enjoys pretending that they are above the rules of the road or they haven’t heard of the law of physics that clearly states two items cannot occupy the same space at the same time so please stop merging directly into my vehicle thank you sir! I say all of this with love, as my mom is from Chicago (and is a self-proclaimed aggressive driver (read: terrifying driver)).

So, my husband drove in the city. I attempted to trade with him at one point, but he made fun of me as I couldn’t even get out of a gas station parking lot. In my defense, everyone was driving like they were on the Indianapolis Speedway and we needed to cross three lines of traffic to turn left onto a one-way street. I’m too Wisconsin for that kind of thing. Seriously. Wisconsinites will wave people across at a four-way stop with a smile. For hours, if necessary. I have proof:

We don’t really sound like this. Well…okay, we kind of do.
A park just off the shores of Lake Michigan near Loyola University.

Once we were off the rollercoaster of Chicago roadways and left the car in a parking garage (which was a story in itself!), I was much happier. I love walking in the city! There is so much to see: fascinating architecture, unusual items for sale, and all sorts of people. Where else can we walk down one busy street and in less than a mile have our choice of Greek, Lebanese, Indonesian, Indian, Ghanaian, and Vietnamese cuisine? I can still have my samosa in hand while I stop for pho! Maybe it’s the same way in every large city, but this kind of thing is amazing to me. We spent quite a bit of time walking around and taking everything in when we visited Chicago. And, I must say, I do have a love for the concrete jungle, even if my heart is typically located on the rural hillside.

19 thoughts on “Street Cacophony”

  2. I enjoy driving and have become a comfortable “aggressive driver” to my Wisconsin family members alarm at times. I know how it works, and I keep telling them: “There are no dents or scratches on my car that I was responsible for. I’m that good at what I do.” (there is a scuff on the back rear bumper from someone trying to park next to me in a grocery store parking lot). I also haven’t had a ticket in years, though I used to drive over 100 miles a day for work.

    Having said that, I prefer using the mass transportation in Chicago so I can look at everything I see to my heart’s content. It’s a beautiful city in its downtown area, and near all of the museums. Those are my most favorite places to go, after all of the family moved out of Chicago.

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    1. Haha, I’m glad the “aggressive driving” works for you. My mom would definitely say that same about her style! And she hasn’t had an accident in decades besides a deer that ran into her car in a stoplight! Certainly not her fault lol. Mass transport is a fun way to see the city, too!

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  4. That video was some funny; I enjoyed the background story of your visit to the city. (“The City”, for rural people usually means the nearest one. Searing the night sky- that got me; to me one of the biggest problems with cities are the lights, light pollution that make the night sky invisible, obliterating the stars from view.

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  5. “Street cacophony”
    love this evocative line 🌹

    The constant street noise is inescapable. At weekends the streets of the City of London can seem empty and silent (well, quieter, at least) than during the cacophonous week!

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  7. “I’m not saying that everyone in Chicago is a bad driver, it’s just that everyone who happens to be driving there either enjoys pretending that they are above the rules of the road or they haven’t heard of the law of physics that clearly states two items cannot occupy the same space at the same time so please stop merging directly into my vehicle thank you sir!”

    Now whole Chicago stares at Sarah in annoyance. Lol.

    Enjoy your Samosa.
    I’m waiting for the next poem.

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  8. I myself stay in a busy neighbourhood, and wish I stayed somewhere quieter. I’d probably appreciate cities from afar. Maybe I’m just wired that way. Stayed in this bustling area for years now and still can’t get used to the noise, lol.

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