earth mother

the city rose up to meet me

from the dry desert heat

like a long lost cousin

at first squalid tenements

giving way to organised roads

while children loitered on corners

eyeing our decrepit vehicle

soon roads blossomed wider

the infamous traffic surging

as buildings inched higher

the timeline intermingled

a Mamluk mosque quietly

sitting beside a 70’s high-rise

I was surprised by the trees

lining the wide avenues

like the buildings

as varied and aged 

as the city’s character 

reaching from the roots up

my heart stopped in glee

spying the first sliver of water

glittering in the distance

as we crept towards the bridge

I peered in my seat

at the boats jostling for space

and my attention

but of course the people

they were the city itself made alive

bus-related acrobatics

taxi-hunting competitions 

the battle for baksheesh

were all as normal as breathing

they all struggled for Cairo’s attention

like plants reaching for sunlight

and it responded with

a bigger share

than they could ever imagine

as I sat there

wondering how I could ever

make it out alive

I wondered what gave it

its kick of life

the pulse which set

toes tapping

it was pure attitude

unashamed soul-baring

the throw your head back

gap-toothed smile

dance like no one is watching

a city with so much life (too much life)

that even at four in the morning

you could be walking on water

it was only later

when I finally left the city

I realised it had stolen

a part of me 

only to be found if I returned

so that no where else

could ever compare

or feel the same again