A city's dirge

After midnight falls,
silence pours in
on the thoroughfares
of an unknown city.

Empty benches wait
for tomorrow's couples.
And, the cigarette stubs of today
are decomposed by the night.

The shops and cafes are sleeping.
Their rolled down shutters,
their cold colors conceal
the warmth inside.

When the dawn breaks
and morning comes
shutters will unroll
and coffee jugs will be filled.

Sandwiches will be served
with french sauce
Newspapers will fly
to the empty balconies.

All shall happen,
but for what?
For the city shall
have long died.

(P.S. The above painting is David Casper Friedrich's Wanderer above the sea of fog (1818).)