1.

Utopia

Once the idea was accepted that

All means necessary should be taken

For the protection of the earth with the

Support of technological magic

Designers could offer proposals based

On equality and harmony so

Many thousands could live in a single

Sky Tower and the magnificence of

A building in which everyone would be

Given everything necessary and

The elegance of the suggestion that

People would rise above their squabbles and

Hardships to live peacefully in the clouds

Who could resist the enthusiasm?

Designers would need

to discourage obvious

comparisons with

beehives and ant colonies —

who would choose to be a drone?

2.

The idea supporting Sky Towers

Is love of nature and the knowledge that

People tend to despoil the earth so in

Devotion to Gaia people would be

Willing to minimize their destruction

And gather together and the walls of

Their rooms could be pixilated with views

Of a forest a prairie a mountain

And the sensations of outdoors could be

Recreated with the seasons with sun

And stars and frogs in spring and crickets in

The summer nights and there would be no need

For people to roam about the landscape

And everyone could be safe and happy.

And the designers

could monitor the movement

of many thousands

and we could all celebrate

a sky of changing colors.

3.

I’ve been following descriptions in the

News of architectural miracles

Of towers of steel and glass extending

A mile in height amounting to cities

Containing homes businesses indoor parks

And entertainment centers and what a

Dream for designers of an expertly

Controlled community — but I’d prefer

To live on the ground listening to the

Peeper frogs again in the spring and a

Fountain and a collection of trees on

The eighty-first floor wouldn’t be enough

And if there were birds sequestered within

Steel and glass they would be a mockery.

A mile high tower

would make a lovely target

for a terrorist —

with ingenuity he

could detonate a city.

4.

If people chose to live in Sky Towers

The designers would have discretion to

Apportion living space by applying

Flexible standards according to the

Population’s preferences and perhaps

An equal distribution of room would

Prevail regardless of merit but some

Would have sunlight and scenery and some

Would live in boxes — some would be high and

Some low and as the disparity of

Property could be narrowed quality

Of life issues would remain because in

Comparison some people always do

Finagle better than most of us can.

How many things do

people really need and if

constrained within a

limited space wouldn’t we

be happy with less clutter?

5.

Even though people could be cloistered in

Sky Towers some would refuse to be —

Minerals would continue to be mined

And oil would be drilled and piped and with

The best technology the earth would be

Farmed and the animals slaughtered for our

Consumption — so it’s dubious that the

Designers would establish a perfect

Separation of people and nature

But once the bulk of humanity sees

The wisdom of cooperation it’s

Possible that we could achieve the dream

Of sustainable communities and

Limit contamination of the Earth.

Because it won’t do

to have everyone doing

just as they please — we

need to assure our children

will have oxygen to breathe.