Sonnet at Copley Square

by Joseph McCombs

Leaflets drown in this wading pool. It's where
Unwanted words and Coke cans come to die.
Stark city people drift, and lacking care,
Keep piling putrid garbage to the sky.
From distant parkbench view, I'm forced to see
A paper bag bubble, float and turn
While mothers holding babies at the knee
Drop their cigarettes, and let them burn.
This city has no need for summer's sun;
There's only one more building, one more floor.
With strained sigh, I turn away, and shun
The glass and brick which mark the urban tour.
I hope the dogs and children find a way
To play in parks and pools again someday.

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