Abecedarian for Orlando

An old map hangs on my childhood wall,

Battered with holes from moving around town,

Crying out as it held onto dreams unrealized,

Dreams I formed of a world I'd only seen in

Electronic toys and imaginary travels.

For I was a prisoner inside my hometown,

Grasping at any hope of seeing more world,

Held down by the omnipresent Orlando,

Inside my room, I'd dream of greener pastures,

January in new continents, Julys on the seas,

Kaleidoscopes of people and Earth.

Let me tell you something I didn't know,

My word before I go from the O-town,

Nothing in this world is quantity over quality.

Orlando has its own pleasures and wonders,

People who showed me kindness and people

Questioning what their town was or could be,

Realizing a dream inside an imperfect city,

Searching for something better than before.

Truth be told I didn't know its value,

Until I readied to leave.

Veins flooding with a feeling of loss,

Walled between a home behind, and home ahead,

X'actly how it would always be,

You travel for a dream and leave half behind.

Zeal to leave fuels a zeal to stay.

I love you, Orlando. And I leave you, Orlando.