Rising silently over the 110 freeway
the Elysian hills
a void in the otherwise bright cityscape
an Angel waits
watching, meticulously studying the scene presented before them.
Nervous anticipation rings in the air
the red streaked tears of the Angels rush towards the city center
a flood of divinely expressed emotions
unprecedented in intensity, in vigor.
A peculiar energy fosters stillness otherwise
refusing to leave the vicinity at such a time as this.
What time you ask?
A time of honest reckoning for the sins of a city beloved my many
and yet a self-proclaimed "City of Angels" without proper recognition
of its flaws, injustices, and inequities.
It is not that perfection sets the bar for expectation.
The Angel sighs
remaining measured, resolute, despite the free flowing bitterness below.
A tide shaded crimson
blood shed from the sentinels of heaven
in response to violence left unspoken and unresolved
unable to be assuaged or remedied
save for a concerted effort
by those who make impactful decisions.
Downtown is a focal point for such feelings.
The skyscrapers on Bunker Hill came at a price.
As did the stadium at Chavez Ravine, the expensive lofts of the Arts District
countless other instances dot the landscape
as reminders of what is, was, and ought to be.
The tears steadily rain down from above and coalesce
moving as a collective through this narrow pass
of one mind, heart, and soul.
Los Angeles mourns its losses and tends to its wounds
praying for better days ahead
where all the Angels rejoice
no longer sullen, afraid, angry, or defeated.
Until then the Angel waits at the overpass
contemplating forevermore
the implications of now and the future
wrapped up by the traumas of the past
some even ongoing.
A city in countless ways distracted by what hardly matters
or but to a few.
Unable to fully celebrate its strengths, its innate greatness
yet always with the capacity for radical change
leveraging its pluralities and positionalities to produce positive outcomes for more
or even all.
Such a reality is possible and cannot be ignored in perpetuity.
A city illuminated by the light of a thousand heavenly manifestations
that rises to the level of its residents' dreams and aspirations.
That is what the Angel firmly believes
can be realized, brought to light, thrust into existence
to stem the tide of red streaked tears
once and for all.
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