hairline fractures trace the hidden network below
beneath.
copper arteries feeding the grid since 1967
fiber optic emerging from corroded conduit
junction box 14c, last inspected march
descent into the cable vault below fifth avenue
steam pipe wrapped in asbestos cloth, undisturbed
the tangle beneath every intersection, unseen
roots displacing the concrete, decade by decade
moss colonizing the valve housing since abandonment
vine threading through the transformer fence
lichen fractal on the bridge abutment, side-lit
a gloved hand steadies the valve, quarter-turn left
clipboard notation: pressure nominal, date verified
chalk date on concrete: 09.14. last inspection
the bridge at dusk, unchanged for another century
endures.