The Wall on the CBC Plaza, Vancouver
“the people are the city” by Paul de Guzman, 2013
red letters by Charlene Kwiatkowski
on Hamilton Street in Yaletown
red letters on a concrete wall
reach me with their lower-case lives
not big enough to record in history books
but big enough to stop me
a traffic light on the street
that’s me on the ladder
that’s you measuring the frame
that’s him showing us where to lay the beam
we are building on a building
stories in a story
texts on an architext
isn’t this an image of us all
working on our lower-case lives
carpenter clothes like lab coats
experimenting with an idea
incomplete, we can’t see
but we dream dream dream
the building is excitement
we are the building
but look at all the walls
we don’t touch, talk about, or share
and this image is not at all like us
people work together
people work together
people work together
is this real or wishful thinking?
is the city plural?
are we together or are we alone together?
say it three times
the holy trinity of incantation
that makes the imagined real
read the red letters
again and again
and again
Description of The Wall. Click the picture for a bigger view.
The artist’s statement, which ties into my poem. Clicking on the picture will take you to a website where you can also read it.
“are we together or are we alone together”
that’s a very good question. i’m leaning towards the latter… but maybe it’s all the readings i’m doing on marxism and alienation.