floating down yonge street

i’ve been to wondering lately
in this thriving, bustling metropolis
is the spacious life possible?
can i breath in deeply, exhale slowly
in this city within a park?
is simplicity a façade 
amidst complexes crowding around?
can i find soft landing on hard days
like bumpers on a bowling alley?
can time be measured in more than
google map minutes to my next destination?

seems city living feels more
like highway resurfacing
grind down a few inches
cover it back
alluring smoothness 
makes you think all is 
well once again cracks 
soon reappear

john from patmos said 
heaven is a city
ever-bright with no night
its foundation laid with everything
precious you’ve ever known
borders ever-open welcoming all
in place of smog-filled thoroughfares
flows crystal-clear life-giving water
and in the centre of it all
the touch of a tree
restores sores and souls
to make everything well

and jesus from bethlehem
said ask for heaven to come 
to wherever you are now
so i got to talking with him
asking him about my wonderings
and my wanderings, too
telling him how things felt
couldn’t find any space
everything always occupied

in his ever-gentle voice 
he says
start in your heart
not in your time

yes! of course!
enlarge my heart!
grow it ever-bigger so
it floats me down that heavenly river
right in the heart of the city

Written by Scott Moore
Illustrated by Landon Wideman

Inspired Nov 2022