London

Time-keeper of the world, 
Center of bohemian traffic, 
Toller of bells, player of instruments, 
Home of Mary Poppins and Peter Pan 
Vying for the imagination of children. 
Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian houses, 
Blocks of magic wedged in light 
Between wide streets of curiosity shops, 
Museums, hotels, enormous parks lying 
Like flower beds under the towers. 
Big Ben chimes, authority of the commons, 
Sounding dignified, an airstrip for birds
Sharing news of the continent by noise, 
Transmitting stories to ships chugging 
Down the Thames, that weaver of thought. 
Fairies and pagans dancing in the dawn, 
Christmas clocks spinning a web, 
Orphans walking, hand in hand, 
Singing carols down Great Ormond Street. 
The dust settles, dreams take flight, 
Lovers lift off the bridges, entranced, 
Divine as abbeys, timeless as cathedrals, 
Rising beyond the rubble of now. 
The calendar turns, the cards are dealt, 
A summit is reached, somewhere within 
The distance between Kensington and Neverland, 
A royal palace hidden, between land and sky, 
Its paintings scattered among the stars.