City of Stars

Old newspapers,
Twisting and ducking
On a gray, empty street
Where lampposts send fingers of murky light
Through and among the gathering shadows
Searching for a hold
In this land
Of smog, liqueous as water
And alleycats
That slink, smearing themselves
Between garbage cans
The fiery orange stars above
That light up the inky sky with their radiance
Are nothing but dusty traffic lights
Blinking On and Off