Thematic poem project description:

Gaping jaws slide neatly past one another while automobiles enter the underworld. Foot travelers approach the mouth of the beast, soaring above and around as they cross the threshold. Blind to the hive of activity below their very feet, all attention is drawn to the amphitheater dropping away from the road. Stewards guard both the bridge ahead and the chasm below, their data mines and refineries operating at full tilt. Gradually, the town gives way to a forest (of books); rows of parallel trunks pop up along the well-trodden path. As easily as it disappeared, the sky slides back into view and clearings showing sparse human use are visible. However, the lonely journey is not over. Bearing only the knowledge the forest had to offer, you are swallowed once again by a cave--the darkness and solitude required to fully engage your task. Upon reemerging into the bright sunlight, the forest seems somehow magnified, each leaf its own world in a greater universe. After returning to town, decisions must be made: does one weave downward to act, or weave upward to contemplate? Below, is it best to call out to those who will listen, or lend an ear to those with something to say? Perhaps more research is required first. Above, is inward or outward musing necessary? Inner reflection provides new insight into the completed journey, while active observation generates new knowledge of the city and its people. Are they distant dreamers or flawless mirrors?