City lights blink like fireflies, regardless of season. High rise windows shine where brick meets sky in a busy horizon.
Ten thousand steps a day are easy here. Church, mosque, supermarket. Post office, synagogue and hardware store. Restaurants serve Italian, Chinese, Ethiopian, French, Japanese, Greek, seafood, pizza, tapas, ribs. Department stores, yarn shop, coffee shops, and burger joints. Museum of Fine Arts and African American Meeting House. Beauty and nail salons, barbershop, shoe repairs, dentists, doctors, optometrist and palm reader too. Freedom trail and river stroll. I am carless in the city. Well-worn walking shoes upon my feet and a cornucopia of things to do.
Iowa girl
fifteen acres
first-picked tomato
dripping down my chin.
Transplanted to cityscape.
I still carry heartland habits,
greeting surprised strangers
as they pass me by on city streets.
Written for dVerse, the virtual poet’s pub, where Bjorn is hosting Haibun Monday and suggesting a modern take on this form — put it into a city poem and the haiku that follows the prose may or may not be about nature; may or may not follow haiku form. Pub opens at 3 PM…come visit other’s views of city life! Photos taken from our 7th floor deck in our highrise in Boston.
lillian the home poet 
I LOVE this, Lillian, especially the juicy tomato and surprise greeting! I grew up in big city of Denver and transplanted to Iowa farm so I relate…in reverse 😉
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….and I really do miss that first picked tomato! But I do love living in Boston. Thankful to have had both experience. Fun to see our serendipity!
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What a huge adjustment, Lillian. I, too, love to greet strangers on the street. Your city views are stunning…but I do love rural living.
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Thanks, Victoria. Having my second morning cup — and shall be off to read everyone’s haibuns in a few. We do love being carless in the city — very healthy for us older folks to insure we get out walking! And yes, I also LOVED living in Iowa and raising our family there.
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This is wonderful… all those opportunities in the city juxtaposed against the taste of that tomato… it’s a balance isn’t it?
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Exactly! So glad I’ve been able to have both worlds in my lifetime.
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Love this, love that you still greet strangers, love the excitement of your city. Sometimes I think I would like to live in a city again, I plan to retire to one…:)
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It’s a healthy lifestyle for us as we walk everywhere! 🙂
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By the way, did you mean penguins, or was that predictive typing?
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Hmmm….not sure what you mean here? Did I type “penguins” somewhere? Please do tell me…
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Oh…sooo relieved… thought some little tuxedoed guys had wondered into my words 😊😳😉. Not to worry 😊
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Sorry, that was the haibun before yours! How careless of me. I came back to leave a second message, and put it in the wrong place. There are no penguins here. Embarrassed.
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It was in Grace’s poem. I have a habit of leaving a load of tabs open. I just got a bit random.
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sMiLes.. surely extroverts do better in
cities overall.. open minded folks who
are not afraid of strange..
and places
like Boston
wHeRe educated
is no invisible way
in lifting veils of ignorance
in original Greek
Definition
oF noW..
Apocalypse
iSREaL noW..,,
i like a taste
of city to thrill my
senses free.. but a home
of Country and Forest to go
back to home
of God
aS Basic
Nature Breeze..
ah.. best of boTh
Worlds loVinG LiBeral
and Conservative too now..
hmm.. so hard to find folks
who go both ways liKe this..
iN Red State Cities and Country
Roads
Plenty..
otHer than
that Hi Lillian..
Hope you are doing
fancy free in the city..:)
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How does that old saying go? Footloose and fancy free! 🙂
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Yes.. sMiLes..
Dance Life Free..:)
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I love this Lillian! I too have been transplanted – only the other way round! The opening sentences of the prose section create a bright atmosphere and the second paragraph conveys the busy vibrancy of the city. The poem is just lovely with its dripping tomato and ‘heartland habits’.
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People ask me what I miss about Iowa and I always say, that first picked tomato and the first ear of sweet corn with butter dripping off it! 🙂 And yes…..midwest is called the heartland….days of unlocked doors and kids climbing trees. I taught in a high school that had 32 kids in its graduating class! 🙂 Loved every minute of it.
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Oh I love this! ❤️ You describe so well the vivacity of urban life. Especially love ” I am carless in the city. Well-worn walking shoes upon my feet and a cornucopia of things to do.” Sigh.. beautifully rendered ❤️
Lots of love,
Sanaa
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Thank you.
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Nice to carry over those habits to the city and surprised the strangers with your friendly smiles and courtous hands ~ Love the wide variety of food and sightst to see in the big city ~
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So much within walking distance….and then when you add a 5 minute walk to the subway and/or to the commuter rail (and that station also has the Down Easter’ Amtrak — it really is quite amazing. But — I did love our 15 acres, apple trees, and wonderful garden in Iowa too!
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I like this take on the prompt and the structure. Very well written and descriptive.
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Thank you! Smiling I am.
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“There are no penguins here”, but a plethora of other profound imagery skillful word smithing. I love the sweet liberties you took with Ms. Haiku. I was satisfied with just creating a senryu.
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Ah Glenn, you always make me smile. Well, Bjorn said we could go “modern” on the haiku or even use a short poem. Glad you enjoyed! I’m angling over to do my reading in a few minutes here — enjoying my second cup on this grey morning i Boston.
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hahaha you are such a showoff 🙂 ❤ ❤
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Oh my…..I hope that’s in a good way? 🙂
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yes, saying it amicably 🙂
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You’re so right about getting all your steps in in the city, Lillian. Boston is a great walking city. We wrote about the same city although my poem was grittier than yours. Lovely view you have there!
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Well — if truth be told, our deck looks straight out to another building across the street — but looking to the left or right, you see more…so we always face our chairs that way! 🙂 Most folks here have closed in their decks to add extra room inside — coming from Iowa, no way we would do that. Have to have that outdoors 🙂
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So much contrast from serene farmland to big city crazy happenings. Having the good sense to retain the rural goodness in the light of city diversions means lots of untold provocations to contend with.Beautiful write lillian!
Hank
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Glad you enjoyed, Hank. Many thanks!
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Love that you still carry your “heartland habits”, Lillian. The prose is wonderful but that “first picked tomato dripping down” your chin is such a beautiful symbolism of your roots and a lovely contrast to your city adventures.
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…and I truly do miss it. Even the tomatoes we buy at the summer farmers’ markets in the city don’t compare to picking one from the garden, taking it inside and washing it and immediately biting in like an apple! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed.
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the transition was beautifully described! and the vivid descriptions are a delight, Lill! ❤
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So glad you enjoyed. Smiling I am, over my second cup this morning 🙂
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awwww. sounds delish! 😀
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Boston is a brusque town, but has a big heart inside. I like how you contrast Iowa with the city.
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We do enjoy Boston. Some call it a “small big city” — and I would agree with that. So glad we’ve had the opportunity to live big chunks of our lives in both! 🙂
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I grew up in and around Madison, Wisconsin and although I loved the rural farms, I wanted to be in urban areas.
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the greeting strangers made me smile – the ingenue in the city – not over-awed but overflowing
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Sometimes people are a bit shocked when I say “good afternoon.” By the way, a very common thing to do in Bermuda — and specifically to whatever time of day it is. When folks get on the bus there, they look at everyone and say “good morning.” It’s kind of like handing out smiles 🙂
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I am a small town girl and I guess I always will be. I think I would be terrified in a big city though you have made it seem less scary
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Well, here’s the thing. When you move to a big city to live there, you’re really only in a “chunk” of the big city — that helps make it more comfortable 🙂
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Good way to look at it.
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Oh yes…so many different things, those shoes will certainly be well worn!
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And they are! 🙂
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Country girl in the city told with sheer panache.
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I love your ‘heartland habits’ carried into the city, so much nicer than having it the other way around :o)
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Love, love, love! ❤️ A wonderful juxtaposition and point of view. The tomato line is splendid and really brings it home. Great photos too! 👍
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So glad you enjoyed. I do miss those Iowa tomatoes right out of our garden!
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Delicious! Did you make tomato sandwiches…just sliced tomatoes, bread and mayo? I used to, (want one right now!) but not sure if that’s just an oddball thing.
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Mm mm, of course! 😊
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