The Glass City

They climb up into the sky
The glittering domes and shining towers
Catching the sun's light, the dazzle us with a stunning display
Look up and see the hundreds of false suns
Tell me if you can tell them apart
The real sky, sun, and clouds
From their reflections
And the clever artistic replicas

Take a good look at the shops
Look at the fun little baubles
The spinning gears and swinging levers
And that bouquet over there
With the marvelous glass roses
And the tinfoil lilies
But you must be careful
The petals cut like knives
And if the aroma is a little toxic
Lean back if you feel faint

Well what would you want with a real flower?
You know those things go bad, after all
Well so what if it's a little cool or hard?
See now, I've no time for your quirks
I've got to go now, tight schedule and all
Try the theatre, and forget those odd questions
Nothing good will come of them


The guide is gone
Marching away
His face to the shiny pavement
Just like the rest of them
All looking at the sidewalk
Or the windows
Never looking at each other directly
Not even with the masks on
You look down too

The garden is lovely
Never aging
Always shining
The theatre is amusing
The casino is the most fun of all

Time to work
Pull the levers
Work the machine

Work
Theatre
Shop
Bet

On and on
Again and again
All with a smile
Always cheerful
On and on

And then comes the jam
Out of nowhere
Things are just blocked
You move on
Adjust your route
It closes in
The jam
The Something
That is getting in the way of things
You move on through alleys and side streets
Out of the usual flow
Away from the Watchers

Here is pavement that doesn't shine
Here there is a deep, terrifying silence
Here the stars shine through
Here the stars shine true
And it's almost more than you can bear

You look out from the dread hill
From the corner of Creation
That had been hidden before
And see the glass city
All splayed out below

Clockwork
All of it a mad dance
A horrid, bejeweled machine
Slick with blood and sweat
Grinding its way into the pit
That's all it really is
That skeletal spectacle
That miserable pleasure palace

But there is another dance
Driven my a wonderful, terrible symphony
Barely audible amidst the infernal noise
But unshakeable once it is heard

An armada seizes the sky
Swirling and rumbling about
Lit up in pulsing flashes
And down below
In the cracks and corners
Nature, our sister, stirs at the Master's touch
Arising from her slumber
Ready to brush away our pretty things

All the while
The melody is in the city
Passing subtly in whispers and glances
Slipping in between busy schedules
Invading the diabolical gears
Jumping about in the daily dice

The Anointed is coming
To rescue us
To romance us
To war against us

The Bridegroom is coming to the Glass City