Upon discovering the part of Tokyo in which I used to live has changed a lot since the last time I did the Google Maps/Earth thing in that area…

I used to be able to trace
my route to the station and back
from either direction
past the shops and the vending machines
the old routine etched in memory
looping over and over through time

Now the street takes turns
that weren’t there before
The shop where I used to buy my dinner has closed
new buildings have gone up
all over the place
There goes the neighborhood

A life formed by city streets
misshapen by years of absence

(25 July 2017—technically, posted July 26th)