a beautiful sprawl

the city was lovely to me then,
the urban curiousities inviting,
and friends walked in evenings
teeming with streetnoise,
streetsights and streetsmell.
one night as i stood on the roof of a tall building,
looking out across the city,
i saw what i imagined to be the the future of the city,
and also the future of me,
all of it purple and rapid and alight and alive.
i am breathless now as i remember.
it is true what she said to me then,
as she walked away from me and around the corner:
we live numerous lives all at once.