Today, for the first time in my life,
I witnessed the awakening of a city.
From the darkness of the night,
to the dawn of a new day.
From peaceful serenity, to flurried activity.
From the loading, unloading, of goods,
to the hustle of people buying them.
These movements of the whole city.

Five bells by the church!
First the birds singing before daybreak,
followed by the crack-of-dawn's light.
Sidewalks, walkways, streets empty.
The architecture of the buildings in view.
The public improvements awaiting their purpose.
The beginnings of urban life about to take place,
on this new day in the city.

Six bells by the church!
The first lights in houses, people going to work.
Then the delivery of goods to stock the stores,
by trucks of six-, ten-, eighteen-wheels and more.
Newspapers dropped off in bundles.
Bakers baking at bakeries for the marketplace.
Cooks in diners readying for their morning fare.
Waitresses waiting to wait on their customers.

Seven bells by the church!
Later in the morning, the sun shinning.
Automobiles emerging, soon to be traffic.
The streets become used, parking lots soon to be filled.
Neighborhood people emerge, and walk to work.
Important people in suits with briefcases.
Later shoppers surface, gather, to make crowds.
The tempo of the city unfolds before my very eyes.

This morning I witnessed a city come to life.
The transportation of goods.
The stocking of the markets, stores, and cafes.
Along with the movement of people,
filling the offices and stores; the entire downtown.
The use of the civic marketplace unfolds.
Just another busy day in the city.
The one I experienced today, for the first time!