It is wisdom to think the people are the city.
It is wisdom to think the city would fall to pieces
and die and be dust in the wind.
If the people of the city all move away and leave no people at all to watch and keep the city.
It is wisdom to think no city stood here at all until the working men, the laughing men, came.
It is wisdom to think tomorrow new working men, new laughing men, may come and put up a new city —
Living lighted skyscrapers and a night lingo of lanterns testify tomorrow shall have its own say-so.
This is section 8 of Sandburg's 10-part poem about Chicago (known as the Windy City).
Poetry Atlas has many poems about Chicago.