Bold strokes of charcoal gradually fade
Blotting with rose-petal hues
Step after crisp autumn-kissed step
Scents ride the winds like surfers catching waves
Splashing aromas of maple syrup
And ground coffee bean drinks of life.
With promises of heaven on my taste buds,
I nod in greeting to Victorian architects’ handiwork
And wink to live rainbows
Acknowledging their secrets with upturned lips.
Across the Atlantic, in a parallel world,
I step onto the streets of ex-Pharaohs,
The familiar hubbub of bee-like pedestrians
And drivers side-stepping one another
In a dance to honks of buses and tok-toks
Falafel and shawerma mingle with
Cane-pressed juice casually on the corner.
With promises of heaven on my taste buds,
I embrace the City of Past Kings.
Cobra and maple leaf intertwine
In a pattern on my forehead
Branding me, on my heart,
A daughter of two cities.