The experience of growing up in one city and leaving it for another.

it’s all the same
and yet it’s not 
            a new city
            a new place to call home
            a new start

she holds on tight to the memories of the city that came before
	the one that raised her
	saw her grow
        a city she clings onto like a past lover

a city with a collection of four seasons
            that cycled forward 
            marking the timeline of her life 

            up until now

now she walks new streets
rides new trains
and finds new ends during afternoon walks

            new but also not
            here but also there

she closes her eyes 
            whitened knuckles grip the metal pole 
            her body sways with the sudden halt of the brakes
            she hears the familiar hum of the train engines
the same ones she grew up with

she closes her eyes
            the popsicle from a man pushing a cart on a summer day
            the gust of wind curving through skyscrapers during a quiet snowfall
            the soft ground hidden under delicate autumn leaves
            the smell of rain in the air as the first blooms unfold
the same ones she grew up with

she closes her eyes
the sound of whirring sirens that lull her to sleep
the muffled voices of a packed coffee shop
the rhythmic howls and barters of busy markets
the same ones she grew up with

             new but also not
             here but also there

her city
          the place she’s always called home 
          it’s been with her
          from the start

Process

This was inspired after writing a previous poem called Windy City Winters that reflected my nostalgia for growing up in Chicago. After moving to New York and spending a few years there, I began to notice the parallels between the two– not just because they were cities but because I realized the heart of a city stays the same. I will forever cherish my home in Chicago, but I am grateful and excited for the new cities I have yet to experience. This poem is a reflection of that.