My Darling Chi

At first I thought you cruel
your sprawling concrete pathways
and looming steel structures
dwarfed me and affirmed
my insignificance.

I could feel your indifference,
at times outright hostility,
it was a struggle
simply to exist
in your expansive churning sprawl
you moved with such speed
I could barely find my footing
let alone keep pace
and eventually I fell
my defeat, one of many,
splayed out ungainly
across your apathy.

I left beaten and dejected.
After two years I returned.

Refueled and corrected
the confidence of youth
appropriately eroded
I came back
offering proper fealty
to your looming impassivity.

Knowing well and respecting
your vein like pumping grid
and steady thrumming pulse
over time I found a place
in your avenues and streets,
bus routes and railways,
restaurants and shops,
secret corners and quiet stops.

I carved out a home
with patience and resolve
and eventually found you
not only warm
but inviting
after I, humbled,
divested of entitlement,
became a part
of your broad shouldered embrace.