yellow lights flicker at night
like freckles through the fog.
checkered punctures in the sky
glow with their auburn flame.
they flicker with the wind and winding turns.
they gleam near smoke stacks on factory towers.
the sound is calm.
the percussion of murky water
rolling toward the bulkhead
echoes through the city of embers.
the darkest grey lays behind
steel bars and race cars,
searching for a purpose
beside dashed street lines,
soon to be solid white
and permanent.