after the sunset

every day should open to a chorus of birds
and close with the embrace of a sunset

i never really thought a shanghai day could
guess i should've given it more credit
had a little more faith

though the birds got kind of annoying after the initial chirps that penetrated my consciousness
after the first realizations of,
hey,
i don't normally hear that
that's kinda special.
then i started noticing patterns
CHIRP! hootHOOoo tweeeeet.
CHIRP! hootHOOoo tweeeeet.
and as soon as the anticipation kicked in
ohh man

but the sunset
there was no rhythmic predictability to sap away its beauty
even the buildings put on new airs of grace
it's a marvel that of the 17 million people in shanghai
not one (ok, maybe one or two might have afforded to)
succumbed to plucking a rose each from the bed of clouds
to hold a whiff of beauty
i would have.

had i not been caged in a car
speeding between those gracious buildings