Urban Creation Story

I wrote this for an assignment to write a creation saga or myth for a seminary class. As usual, in this one I'm into "The City"!

Before there was space
Before there was time
  There was emptiness, darkness
      and
  people who had a head, a body,
      2 arms and 2 legs
  Who saw they had a need
  They hoped to fill that need
And they cried, "City of Dreams, be ours!"
And they built
  they built
  with brick & wood & stucco & glass &
    concrete & plastic & bronze & steel
  Thus they ordered their space
And they built their
  schools & stores & houses
    shops & offices
    water pipes, sewers & networks for news
    color & sound & motion & mass
And they made light, artificial light

All this was done by the people, yes by the people
  those people who had a head & a body &
  arms & legs but no heart
  yes by the people, we the people
  acting in ordered space
building the City of Dreams
    And then
    those people who had no heart
    saw they had a need
    They hoped to fill their need

Some of them cried, "We’ll take power! We
    promise to end your need!"
And they acted
  By reaching out and taking
    most of the others’ money and pride
    breaking the peoples dreams
    making the rich & the poor
    breaking the promise they made
    to the people
    and setting themselves up high, too high
    in councils, on boards & in
      far-away playlands
    lands far away from the people
    away from the City of Dreams
    the City of Broken
    Dreams
    away from the people who had
    heart
  Who saw they had a need
They wanted to fill their need
And the Spirit answered, cried out

The Spirit cried, "City of Light, be real!"
And the Spirit built
    and with water, fresh water, clear water
    the Spirit covered & drowned
    the people of power who promises broke
    and with water the Spirit covered & washed
    we people of broken dreams
   and gave light of the Sun to our city
The Spirit built
    with hope, with dreams, with
    feasts & festivals, celebrations
    with person to person & group to
      group
    creating a covenant people

All this was done for the people, yes for the people
    we people who have a head & a body &
    arms & legs
  we people who have a heart
  we people who live in ordered space, who
    live in historical time
  in the City of Light
And we sing to the Spirit, yes to the Spirit
  the Spirit who gives us water and light
  the Spirit who gives us life
  the Spirit who gave us a heart

© Leah Chang