I open my window to the city,
the heat,
and the night.
Across the street,
dark blue monoliths blink awake
– luminous oblong eyes.
Taxi doors open and shut,
high heels stumble.
The timbre of men’s voices rise through the bed springs,
and the chime of feminine laughter flutters to the ceiling.
Promises of imminent trysts linger
– they hook into my skin and tie me down,
like the Lilliputians did to Gulliver.
Turning over, I sever their ropes.
Alone I choose to spend these hours.
photograph by Ana Maria Sapountzi