On Chicago

Oh Chicago
City of bright lights
Big Shoulders
Irascible drivers
Impossible parking
You have been many faces to me
You were there when I stood
Facing the icy wind, and cried
Remember when we stood at the shores of your lake
And spoke of the deaths of our fathers
And I threw my green hopes into its depths.

You've bitten me with your bitter winds
You've watched me grow and age
From the inside out
Crumbling as I go
Against your sidewalks and skyscrapers

Leaving traces of myself everywhere
While you, invading my memories
Plant yourself firmly within
With a hundred summer concerts
Patio dinners, final exams
Snowstorms, floods, Sunday services
The music of your soul,
The background to my life in its messy meandering paths
Singing me from life to death and back.