She walks through the big city
staring upward, walking a few
paces and stopping, looking

at the faces of the people
not looking back but looking
down not at what is around.

She can’t believe it. Look
around at it all — the mag-
nificent architecture. How do

they build buildings that tall
especially on pilings under
water? Last night she stayed

out after dark to walk through
the park and she looked back
at the skyline and everything

was lit like a Christmas tree,
white lights twinkling in all the
buildings. Who is in charge of

all that electricity? She stood
by the big fountain and watched
the geysers rhythmically shooting

to the sky and falling back to
earth. She heard the water
slapping the shore and wondered

how they grew the land into the
lake for the planetarium and
aquarium. She just couldn’t

believe how it all worked. And
then she wondered, how does it
all work? Who is in charge? Is

anyone in charge? It can’t just
happen. She felt a chill and
went back to her hotel,

her head spinning. She isn’t
the only one to have wondered
that.