A blossoming embrace

My city welcomes you in myriad ways
when you’ve been away for too long…
Glowing yellow window-lights in skyscrapers,
like hundreds of lighthouses along the highway
A thronging mass of strangers
who claim kinship by mere proof of residence…
Grocery store aisles that beckon invitingly,
promising an unattainable vision of domestic life
But my favourite welcoming-signs
are the many-hued bougainvillea trees…
Blooming in pink, and white, and yellow glory,
spreading soft carpets for world-weary travellers
Scattering garlands about your shoulders
held together by strings of wind…
Bursting over rocky walls and hedges,
with the exuberance of a self-satisfied person
The encyclopedia lists them as tough, hardy plants
that thrive even in scorching sun and drought,
Just like all of us in this big, beautiful, cruel city…
Weathering the drama of life