Stories That Never Get Told

To the City

To the city that breathed the life back into me,

I have not forgotten your name even if it has been years since it last slipped through my lips. My heart yearns to feel your soul hum against mine once more, and my hands wish to run through your branches again.

You have given more to me than I truly thought possible. I arrived on your doorstep, battered and broken, and you did not turn me away. You took this bruised shell of what had once been me, and let me know that one day I would find myself again. I have not forgotten how it is that you have shaped me. You raised me up so that I could stand among skyscrapers and not be afraid that they would crush me. You reminded me that, even if I am strong, that I will still fall down, and that I have it in me to get back up again. You taught me to stand on mountains and showed me what I am capable of, but remained ruthless enough to shatter the ground beneath me feet so that I remember my humble beginnings.

You, my beautiful city, took a southern child without a spine, and turned her into a concrete jungle Queen who knows her worth and will never let a man define it again. It was underneath your wing that I learned that while this life of glamour can shine bright enough to blind you, you should never stop reaching for the stars because is where the light truly shines.

I grew with you. I was a child with you. I was a bar fight, a kiss goodnight, and a broken heart tonight with you.

To the city that loved me even when I did not understand, thank you for breaking me. Thank you for making me whole again. Thank you for showing me that even when I am weak, I am so much stronger than I think I am. There are no words to describe you, and not even the greatest of poets can capture you beauty.

To the city that never sleeps, I hope you know that tonight I amdreaming of you.