It was when time grew faster,
That I began to see the charm
In the things that annoyed me

I began to smile briefly,
At the passing of a rancid train,
Or the imprudent drivers,
Or the careless Uber bikers,
And all the noise they made

I gave some green to a beggar,
As he sang white clouds,
And the gray rock began to gain some color in the night,
And the sky was clear,
And although you couldn’t see the stars,
The lights of the city didn’t allow it to grow dark

The dirty snow melting inside my shoe,
Under the electric red of a lamp heater,
As the owner leaned over and welcomed us,
As he did everyone else
Who would eat out in the cold like this?

Perhaps had it not been my farewell,
We would have eaten at home,
Equally romantic,
Equally caring of the man with the bow

But love must be shared with the world,
Even more so if the world was in need for love

The wine eased the subzero trembling of my jaw,
As I kissed goodbye to the girl the city had chosen for me

There were so many things to complain for this year,
And oh, did I complain!
But as I walked with fogging glasses,
In the direction to a warmer semester,
The city looked happier than the day before

Maybe as I come back soon,
She will be waiting,
And we could enjoy the love the city has for us too

words_martin hidalgo photo_andre benz on unsplash