City in the Clouds
Andre F. Peltier
There’s a city in the clouds;
it’s floating on the wind.
When the rains fall
upon those below,
the city remains warm and dry
in ever-present sun.
City fathers shake hands,
nod, wink at luncheons
in the great white halls.
Old women watch the rays
as the lining of the fluff
glows silver and they know
better days are ahead.
From the city in the clouds,
they gaze down on corn fields,
oak groves, roaring Niagara,
and know there are
better days ahead.
Above Shangri-La, Hill Valley,
The Emerald City of Oz,
those cloud dwellers sing
songs of tomorrow,
songs of equality,
songs of everlasting love.
When will those songs
fill our hearts?
When will the silver glow
warm our dreams?
No one here looks up and sees
the better days ahead.
No one down below can
bask in ever-present sun.
Flash Issue 11
Andre F. Peltier (he/him) is a Pushcart Nominee and a Lecturer III at Eastern Michigan University where he teaches literature and writing. He lives in Ypsilanti, MI, with his family. His poetry has recently appeared in various publications like CP Quarterly, About Place, Novus Review, and Fahmidan Journal, and most recently in The Brazos Review, and Idle Ink. His debut chapbook, Poplandia, is forthcoming from Alien Buddha Press in 2022. Twitter: @aandrefpeltier Website: www.andrefpeltier.com