Naomi Shihab Nye

That spiky white tip at the top, the give-away.
Women kneel in gardens nearby, plucking weeds,
rakes propped against real trees.
Triangular straw hats on their heads,
or resting on weed sacks.

Next to the tower, its false needles
a deeper piney green, real trees seem pale.
Invisible cobras burrow and slither  
in the underbrush.

Nearby, gray skyscrapers pinned in line on all horizons,
Guangdong, "the most industrialized region on earth."
Easy to imagine the apartments'  modestly-sized interiors,
bathroom drains, steel kitchen sinks, bunks,
moderate shelvings, secret people calling one another,
any way they can, between working hours,
from balconies, cupping weary hands over the phone,
calling through the tree.