Poem: “Shanghai: Even Steel Remembers”

Shanghai, jewel of glass and steel,

you rise where rivers dream and heal,

your skyline hums a billion names,

of progress, profit, hope, and flames.

Your heartbeat races, never rests,

but who will tend your weary chests?

The migrant soul, the factory seam,

the elder fading from the dream.

Where art once bloomed in gentle rain,

now echoes traffic, rush, and gain.

The poets fade behind the screens,

while silence drowns the in-betweens.

Oh Shanghai phoenix on fire,

remember what your roots require.

Not every dream is bought or sold,

not every future must be gold.

Let gardens bloom where greed has sown,

let mercy seed your heart of stone.

Restore your soul before it breaks,

for even steel remembers lakes.