Monday 25 April 2016

U is for Urban



is for Urban




Urban's crossness


Pope Urban said crossly to Galileo,
"In this awful business of your helio –
you see centricism is fine
if you know to draw the line,
as for where it’s centred – that would be geo."

Pope Urban was mostly suave n urbane
except he lost it at Galileo’s vein,
“The sun the centre? Just absurd!
besides it contradicts the Word
and I’m not allowing that during my reign.”



I don't know much about Pope Urban (or for that matter any Pope, very little to do with Popes and Kings and lofty beings). But Urban is not my favourite word, and why anyone Pope or otherwise, should choose to have it as a name beats me hollow.  



Urbanisation is a serious issue where I come from, the socio-economic impacts are mind boggling.  Personally, I have grown up in spaces that are beyond back-of-beyond, and therefore tall, dense buildings, concreted roads bristling with the ubiquitous sodium vapour lamps,  and too many people milling around, all make me want to take off at 100 miles an hour. The only advantage to city living that I can think of are bookshops and libraries.  I'd rather be a forest than a street any day, or to be more specific, an African grassland than a street.  Grasslands imho are Uber cool, have you ever seen any street that was of the same awesomeness as a stretch of savannah? Nope, me neither.




Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2016 




42 comments:

  1. Yeah, give me wide-open spaces any day. If I want a book, I can go to the library in the city and then go home to the middle of nowhere.

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    1. So lucky! Middle of nowhere is a great address!!

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  2. Hi Nila - it's interesting how through time we've created urban living, some have been crushed, before rising again ... but always people will gravitate to where the work is ...

    Urban dwellers in 15th England, in Roman Britain - were from all parts of the world ... now we have choices - we can spread our wings and if rich enough move out to earthier areas ... I too could choose country - but I love exhibitions, museums, libraries etc ... so some people need to live in their urban dwellings! Cheers Hilary

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    1. Yes, you've nailed it, Hilary. People gravitate to the work available.

      I come from, and have lived/stayed in some of the most congested, population dense cities in the world just as I have lived in places quite the opposite. Kolkata, my hometown has a population density of 62,000/sq kms, compared to Western cities which range from 5000 - 11000/sq kms overall. Cairo is 46,000/sq kms, much lower than Kolkata but still way more than what is comfortable. Lagos is the most congested city in Africa. This kind of population pressure eats up every inch of public space and every bit of land and every resource ends up being over-exploited. Very stressful to see and experience.

      I love museums too! I would, if I had the choice, stay way out in the country and totally accept the occasional long commute for the reading and art fixes as and when necessary :)

      Have a great week!

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  3. Yeah, I'm not great in cities for long either. And thanks for stopping by.

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    1. Yup, they are good to visit and then get out as fast as one can

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  4. I like a little bit of both. city is nice.. but now and then a vast stretch would be good. :)
    Seena
    #AtoZChallenge - U is for Ultrasound

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    1. Mine would be entirely a vast stretch, and now and then a quick dash in and out of the city :) if only!

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  5. What about the actor Karl Urban? Is he cool? He was cool in Lord of the Rings and Star Trek.

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    1. Oh, he's very cool indeed. Loved him in both! But no limericking in public on dishy, living actors...or authors and poets :)

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  6. Yes! One of the hardest things about living here in North Carolina for me is the feeling that all the land is owned and there are no wild spaces.

    @mirymom1 from
    Balancing Act

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  7. I am not a country girl. Need a nice mix in utban areas of green space i. E. Central Park. No matter- good poem and use of U

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    1. Not everyone is. And neither should they be :)

      The implications of urban in Asia and Africa are different from those in the West though.

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  8. Pope Urban, haven't read about him! Amazing how suavely you deal with complex theories! Hats off girl! Urban living...hmm, no choice to live otherwise so keeping it zipped! ;)
    @KalaRavi16 from
    Relax-N-Rave

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    1. Hah no choice here also, but fully using my right to whine! :)

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  9. Enjoyed the read and the the enhanced GK :)

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  10. A thought provoking post. Enjoyed the limerick, as ever. Thank you.

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  11. Having lived and worked in both Houston and Boston I am now grateful and relieved to live out here on an island surrounded by trees and water. No more cities for me.

    @Kathleen01930
    Meet My Imaginary Friends
    #AtoZchallenge

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    1. Trees and water, bliss! Lucky you! Hope I'll be able to say goodbye to cities someday, though it seems highly unlikely as of now ...sigh

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  12. I've been lucky to live in beautiful places. I could not do the crowded city. Concrete and people, noise and pollution not worth the benefits. Give me the mountains, the forest, or the endless view from the beach. :)

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    1. Yes, please, to all three!

      Once you do the wide open bit, you really can't settle down in concrete and noise and pollution anymore even if it is years after...

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  13. Wow, love your blog! The poetry is right up my alley, too.

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    1. Thanks, pleased to be sharing the alley with you :)

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  14. Oh clever U post! - It's a tricky one but you made it look easy ;)

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  15. I'm with ya on team wide open spaces! Luckily, here in the Asheville NC mountains, we're surrounded by protected wilderness as far as the eye can see.

    The AtoZ of EOS
    #TeamDamyanti

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    1. Protected wilderness would be totally a dream address :D

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  16. I've heard that Kolkata is incredibly crowded, far more dense than western cities, but I too prefer smaller towns close to the wilderness. And that poetic monologue from Pope Urban about Galileo. Lovely!

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    1. Kolkata I think is the second or third most population dense city in the world, it has taken in refugees in the millions since 1947, apart from the slower, more 'normal' urbanisation...thanks for visiting!

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  17. On the other side of the pond, I feel the same way about New York. Many people LOVE it, but I can't get out of there fast enough.

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    1. Cities are great to visit, especially the larger ones the political capitals or commercial hubs for their history and cultural offerings, but living is stressful there.

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  18. Unbridled urbanization is a threat to the natural order of our world. There are special areas of study that work to save the natural environment while expanding cities and human-scapes. Hopefully, that is the future.

    From A to Z.

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    1. Can't agree more with your first statement. Thanks for visiting.

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  19. U is for unmatchable
    Good job on this. Thank you for sharing.

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  20. I love solitude and quiet. Walking on a beach is heaven to me. Yet, for some odd reason, I've always wanted to live (short term, like maybe 6 months) in a downtown city apartment (any large city) in the center of the hustle bustle. Go figure.

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  21. Haha, love the poem! Too bad you wouldn't be able to see most of the heliocentric solar system from an urban locale - too much light pollution!

    Visiting from A to Z. :)

    Hillary | www.flinntrospection.com

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  22. Wow thought "Pope Urban" was a made up name when I read your poem. As always, great job.

    Joy @ The Joyous Living

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