The City

I own the charms of lovely Nature; still,
In human nature more delight I find.
Though sweet the murmuring voices of the rill,
I much prefer the voices of my kind.

I like the roar of cities. In the mart,
Where busy toilers strive for place and gain,
I seem to read humanity's great heart,
And share its hopes, its pleasures, and its pain.

The rush of hurrying trains that cannot wait,
The tread of myriad feet, all say to me:
"You are the architect of your own fate;
Toil on, hope on, and dare to do and be."

I like the jangled music of the loud
Bold bells; the whistle's sudden shrill reply;
And there is inspiration in a crowd--
A magnetism flashed from eye to eye.

My sorrows all seem lightened and my joys
Augmented when the comrade world walks near;
Close to mankind my soul best keeps its poise.
Give me the great town's bustle, strife, and noise,
And let who will, hold Nature's calm more dear. 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 

I love the above poem.  Says everything about the city life.  I've been a city dweller since 1969.  Gosh, has it really been that long? I remember the night I moved here as if it were yesterday.  It is all so clear to me. The rundown hotel where Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul, and Mary stayed was my home, and Washington Square Park was the place to be...and I was a part of it all. 

But now, now the time has come that I yearn for home. Oh, how it excited me, a young country bumpkin when I first stepped out into the city that morning oh, so long ago, and who would have guessed I would still be here today.  I can't complain. All and all, the city has been good to me.  I've struggled, yes, but I am one of those who came here with a dream and survived.  I've been blessed.  

Seems like I'm rambling today, and maybe I am. Worked on my ancestry last night and feeling a bit melancholy.  Family is what it is all about, and I am really missing mine.

Wishing you all a wonderful day.