Approaching San Diego from the sky,
I’m staggered at how wide the place has grown
in 50 years. Through airplane glass I spy
a million houses, each a planted stone,
aligned as if in labyrinth. Somewhere
a center is, but I don’t have a thread.
Addresses ribbon like a winding stair;
I think about the residents instead.

It’s hard to comprehend so many lives.
Each house may shelter joy or agony.
While someone suffers pain, another thrives,
and I can’t process such disparity.
I’m overwhelmed with population stress –
too much variety to well express.