Proudly published in 2014 by Forward Poetry, in an anthology called Everlasting Words: A Collection of Poetry.
In this city I can be whoever I wish.
I can be anonymous, blend with the crowd and close my eyes on the world.
I can be bold, stand out from the crowd and open my eyes to all the world has to offer.
In this city I can follow trends, or push against them.
In this city I need no friends, but I have many.
In this city no face is familiar, but every face is an ally.
Some days I resist the city’s pushy advances, some days I crave them.
Sometimes the mayhem bullies me into my shell, sometimes it draws me out.
This is a city of concrete grey; this is a city bursting with colour.
This city is a ferocious tiger; this city is a fragile butterfly.
I see brick walls and dead ends everywhere, yet possibility all around.
This city makes me feel young and energetic.
This city makes me feel old and tired.
In this city I can rebel or conform.
This city teaches me how wise I am and how much I have yet to learn.
This urban environment both stifles and fuels my hunger.
In this city I feel lost, until abruptly I am found.
Elements of me rest dormant while others are re-awakened.
The people in this city barely acknowledge me, yet they care deeply for my wellbeing.
In this city I can be both the exception to the rule, and the norm.
In this city I am equally free, and equally trapped.
I am living in this city’s heart, and this city is living in mine.
