Düsseldorf, August 7, 2021
a city of unfathomable wealth
unequal relationships
between bidders, buyers and laborers
what remains are gloomy over-lit shop windows
promising instant winnings
a woman at the window tries to attract the attention
of the lover long gone
she still hopes
to see him in the square
singing love songs to her
the square is now empty
the market is no longer there
at the supermarket there’s no time
to get to know each other
strangers do not greet one another
there’s a woman at the window overlooking the square
her hair is standing on end
she wears a hot pink apron
stained with oil
she smokes an endless cigarette
the elegant-looking facades
conceal decaying atriums
and neglected living rooms
decorated in the trends from a century ago
for low-cost housing
in a rather central neighborhood
sumptuous marble entryways
give way to unkept rooms
consumed by time and the smoke from kitchens
as well as the never-ending emissions of CO2
