One last piece.... by Jennifer Crespo... My City: Something about the city of New York. The Boogie Down Bronx to be precise. How can I not love the noises, the sounds, the rattles of the trains up above my head and below the streets? The racket you say? Nah... How about the melody that use to lull me to sleep? Scare of the dark? That’ll be me. But I’ll tell you what- ever since I can remember I’ve never slept with a night light plugged in beside my bed. For the lights of the cars passing by, or the street lamp on the corner of my block, Was always enough to shine thru my gated windows, scaring my monsters away. Now, on the other hand.... I’ve met the hills and the woods. The lakes, and the mountains, and even the small town places- Where everybody knows your name- even if you don’t know theirs. You wouldn’t believe what lies beyond these tall buildings, and the high-rise billboards. Pass those way up there train tracks, & high highways. Places to go when the lullaby gets a lil too loud. But I’ma tell you another thing- There’s no greater feeling than coming back home. Hearing the roars 10 blocks passed 161 & Yankee Stadium- A sign that the Yanks pulled off yet another win. I’m talking about a place where I’ve turned off my stereo, Stepped outside and still have the sounds of old Salsa, Merengue, and Hip-Hop playing out of the windows on opposite sides of the street. So instead of walking up the block, I’m dancing and singing to a beat. It’s a place where one of the 2 bodegas on the block is still opened for A snack attack at 2 in the morning. It’s where this latin lady got her shape. And yeah, it could be the water.... Or maybe it was that Mami & Papi just knew how to groove. I love walking by any block and seeing My Borinquen flag flying off the telephone wires. Blocks that tell the story of my people. So you see- there’s something about this city. There’s more to the city than just a lot of people and bright lights. Straight up- the ghetto will show you (willingly or not), All the raw and gruesome sides of life that nobody in “higher society” wants to think about. The Northeast side shows you that there is a way to make above ground, and with hope. Which is great..... For myself, I stand in the very heart of it all. So that there is no reason to forget where I came from, And so that I’ll remember it’ll all be worth it, When I rise above higher grounds with a lil more than just hope. I leave ya with this: My home is beautiful. Sitting here on this stoop over on 204th and Jerome Ave, letting the rumbles of the that 4 train be my inspiration. Knowing that there is no other place I’d rather be than My City, My Bx, My Home...~ JM ~
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 04:16:13 +0000
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