constructing poetry

Sansheng Road in Hutoshan Park, Taoyuan City, Taiwan

my feet never wander
down the streets of Taiwan
to find an oasis of green
in the middle of Taoyuan City—
but with my fingers
walking, I see it.

trees line the roads,
as tangled as any copse
on the roads I know. it’s bathed
in greens—each leaf a shimmer
of life, caught by a camera wielding
employee of google maps
to come to my eye, years
and millions of wirelengths later.

a manmade cliff of cement towers
above the road, with a sign—
red with white characters.
people hide beyond the fence,
and I wonder why they
stood there, whether they knew
they were being captured
for me to see them, across time.

the road is shaded, and a van
is open on the side of the road
with a red umbrella giving more shade
to protect a little market,

and I see the park
and the people, and the signs
and the cars, and I know—
they are so close to me—
they love and shop and think
about the green of trees
and if they saw me, on some street
in Tennessee, they’d ache,
as I do,
with familiarity.

line count: 36

Prompt ▼

On Google Earth/Maps,(if possible, use Chrome browser and google Google maps. You get different one from the desktop version) go to a place in China where you can get down to street view and take us on a walk. Suggest Hong Kong or Taiwan as we know you CAN get to street level in those places.. Be descriptive and tell us what you see. Try to find a street name (or use longitude/latitude) and use it in your poem. Alternatively, you can click on a close succession of blue dots to get the same feel.
Word(s) to Include: None, but do be extremely descriptive. What is different from where you live and what is the same? (or any derivatives of these words)
Forbidden Word(s): NONE but do describe your scene very well!!! (or any derivatives of these words)
Additional Parameters:
Remember, do not use forbidden words ANYWHERE, including title or the brief description. At least 24 lines.