I celebrate my city,
And hope for better things because it will arise from the ashes.
I see things unseen by CNN,
Or those who have never been within my city’s limits.
A diamond in the ruff,
Some say living in Detroit must be so tough.
From the River to the South,
With the Princess making waves in her never-ending body.
And the stadiums downtown,
And other building covered with the art of the misunderstood.
My city has life unknown,
My city is in a chair but in the future it will be a throne.
Detroit, a city that appears to have fallen,
But with a closer look it is a city of love and beauty,
It is a mecca for creativity.
A city of desires, wants, needs, and ambition and drive to match.
A city that shines like a star in the night,
For some it can make the wrong things seem right.
During the day the light shines through the people, in their spirit and undying hustle.
The hustle and spirit of the homeless shine through,
They are the ones, who always see the glass half full,
Forever trying to make a dollar from fifteen cents.
A place of hope and wonder,
A plug of energy untapped,
It is the sun on the horizon to a better day.
Somehow making a way from what may seem to be no way.
When I sit and think, I wonder, what makes a city a city?
Is it the large buildings?
The hustle and bustle,
The great energy that comes from it,
Or the dreams and potential it holds?
A city is whatever the eye allows you to see,
It can be good or bad,
It can have plight or prosperity,
It can have life or death.
In the end a city is like clay,
Waiting for the potter to mold it into whatever he or she sees fit.
Detroit is a city for everyone,
Detroit is a mother that ensures no child is left behind,
Even in her fast paced movement she never forgets to include any of her children.
Detroit is a place for the entrepreneur and the man with a dollar and a dream,
Detroit is for the street walker and the businesswoman,
The sinner and the saint,
Those who make it and those who may fall short,
The athlete and the full time student,
From the druggie to the CEO,
The child in the ivory tower and the child, who has seen it all,
From the grandmother to the teen mother,
The educated and the ignorant,
The pauper and the cosmopolitan,
East-siders and west-siders,
The rapper and the banker,
The wise and the novice,
The thief and the patron,
The surgeon and the vagrant
Detroit was made with a place for everyone but never the faint of heart.
If I am ever lost and you cannot find me,
Go to Detroit wherever you look you can see,
Little pieces that make up me.
I am in the Old Main in the dance room.
I am in the YMCA swimming in the pool.
I am in the stadium cheering on my team.
I am at the state fairgrounds eating ice cream.
I am on Woodward traveling in and out of the city.
I am in the ice rink.
I am downtown in my mother’s office.
I am on the people mover.
It is time to throw out what the thoughts that others have given to us!
And explore the city on our own!
Always remember whenever you are in the city you are at home.