On My Move to Chicago, IL

Nov. 15, 2012

On My Move to Chicago, IL

Like diving into a concrete ocean,
     Fighting just to reach the surface
          And spitting up slimy chunks of gravel
               and stone.
After recovering from the impact,
     I waded to a semi-solid mass,
          a clod of Earth
               smothered in the sludge.
I went to work,
     chipping off the dirty coat of cement
           til the soil could breathe again,
And,
     hoisting it upon my back
          to keep it dry,
Walked out on the hardening rock
     to find another piece of Earth.

I have built mountains,
     and though I'm on a foreign shore,
I will build again.