A very short story.
City
Sirens echo through the streets, racing away an emergency. A husband and wife yell at each other for the fourth night straight this week. The “waves” of the city wash over buildings, louder when traffic lights turn green, receding when they turn red.
A man wraps himself in as many layers as he has, attempting to keep warm in a tent nestled between some trees in the parkland. Another man is trying to sleep, but for the stress can’t disengage.
An old woman is taking the last of the breaths of her life. A newborn is taking the first breaths of her life.
Moments come and go, so many moments, and some so quickly. But for it all, for the city, it’s a fraction of a second. For each individual the moment right now is all that matters, all that is important, but the import of everything is lost in this immediacy, in this focus.
The city pleads - take the moment, disconnect.