With Love,

If you were a girl, your hair would be the highways, twisting and curling upon your shoulders. Your eyes would glimmer a reflection of the blue sky. Your skin would gleam like pale sands in the sun. Your neighborhoods of brown brick and green tree outfit you. The L wraps around you like a necklace. Your skyscrapers like a glittering crown. You are the jewel of Illinois.

Your body thrums with the energy of 8,865,000 people and then some. When the loop has done it’s business for the day, the rest of you fills with the rhythm of the night. You are joyful, musical, lively, wondrous. You are mournful, aggravated, restless, a powder keg about to explode. You hold within you a desire for better, while still clinging to the safety of what you know. You offer many questions, many answers, but maybe not necessarily the answers to the questions.

Young, with an old soul. You fight. You cry. You rally. You work toward a future where you don’t have to be afraid. You lust for justice, love and peace. You unite common men. You unite uncommon men. Your pride holds your head high for the world to see. You have been hurt many times, but you will not be stopped. You will always come back, stronger than before.

In your heart, you hold celebrations for anything and everything. Muted though they’ve been since you’ve gotten sick, their spirit still carries you. Again, you will come back, stronger than ever, and your parties with vivacity and power, will carry us as well. You share with us your determination, your humanity, and your courage.

In your shadows, you hold past sins - villainy and evil at some turns - but who doesn’t have baggage? Your baggage doesn’t take away from your beauty, from your artistry and allure. Your dark alleyways give contrast to your glamour, bring appeal to your jazz and temptation. Your skeletons have been serving as lessons for you and us for ages now. You don’t hide what you’ve been. You wear it like a badge of honor as your march on, trying to do better.

If you were a girl, I would take your hand in mine and tell you how much you mean to me. I would tell you that I want to stop flirting, I want you to be mine. If you were a girl, I would tell you of my love for you, how deep it runs, how deep it’s always run.

But you aren’t a girl…

No, you are but a city, so close to me, yet so out of reach. I am running behind you, hand outstretched to grab your shirt, but clasping on dead air. Two steps ahead.

The good thing about you being a city, at least, is that you will always be there, at least for my lifetime. I have forever to chase you, to try to get those two steps closer and be yours.

Worry not, Chicago, I will not give up so easy. You will always be my girl, my glittering jewel of Illinois. I will always hold you in high regard, and you will always tickle my fancy. Your ways will always tempt me and toy with me, pulling me back in time and again, like your shores pull Lake Michigan. Your people, your places, your beauty and energy, drawing me like a magnet. I orbit you like the moon, but your gravity is too much and I am on a trajectory toward you. It is only a matter of time before I impact.

You are my heart, you are my soul, Chicago. I will not let you go.