Author's Notes: "The City" is a small collection of prose poetry (poetry written in the form of short prose pieces, to put emphasis on the words and the scenes) that I wrote for my Introduction to Creative Writing class at UCSC during my sophomore year of college. They focus specifically on my hometown of San Francisco, bringing together a variety of feelings I sometimes experience when I'm back home.

I

Sunlight filters through the gaps between the monolithic skyscrapers that reach up to the heavens. Steam rises from the pavement, signaling the warmth of a new day. My shoes leave imprints behind me as I walk towards an unknown destination; there's always somewhere to go in the City, yet it feels as if the City itself is a cage, a prison as it were. Water on three sides and an industrial wasteland create a wall that I can't escape from.