Tuesday, December 9, 2014

She's all that...













She's eclectic, 

wears moss and leaves
in her flowing, often tangled hair
She's full of ideas,  
for language and culture, she 
has quite a flair
One gets to know her, slowly, 
to form an opinion worthwhile
I've seen her through only distant eyes;
it's said one either loves her 
or they don't - seems there's 
no middle ground
A sailor will return to her from 
open seas, endure days to just 
reach her elongated throat.
Her eyes dark as the night sky,
her body curves like a highway
along a mountain ridge
Sitting crossed legged, 
her thighs press together like 
layered hills and valleys
Her waist expands or cinches tight
for adjustments needed

She is eccentric,

beyond belief!
She's winsome, enchanting, 
sexy, and endearing;
but many think her cruel and 
full of greed and guile
I imagine her to be benevolent,
tolerant, open-minded -
in spite of all the lies,
I think all the while,
she feels loss and gain with 
all her heart,
in a very personal way,
She fight corruption,
tries to keep hatred at bay,
has the power and will to change 
direction, make the next chess play
She has flaws and woes, 
can be driven to fury,
yet compassion is her strong suit
One side of her is cold, even numb, 
but she eases her wounds, goes on
by pursuing the best rule of thumb -
striving to be the best of 
what she can be...
she is tough, but she still 
can steal your heart anyway

She is electric -
her dress a resplendent array
of flickering lights;
her poise is unquestionable; 
it's the voices she hears
that try to break her soul,
her colorful lifestyle
Her investments come from
her center, reaching afar
Although her skirts hide the 
darker side of things,
she is demure and bubbly champagne, 
above par
People of all walks of life 
yield and bow to her
She's a caretaker for all;
her Native American history 
goes deep into the hills,
yet she designs dreams for the future,
new pathways to follow
She is built like a formidable ship
ready for battle, yet as a woman 
she is whole, and dynamic;
delicate when it comes to the 
slightest details
She knows-
She's New York - 
her rich history is the vigor
in her blood that fills her veins
and makes her body tick every day,
every year, with new excitement 
There's so much more to her 
than room here to write,
Ric Burns did a nice job on PBS





We are writing poems about cities today at dversepoets.com
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12 comments:

  1. Your poem has really characterized New York in a fascinating way, Kathy. Enjoyed how you wrote the way she is eclectic, eccentric, and electric. A cool piece!

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  2. i rather love new york...she is def a jewel...so many facets to take in...
    every time i visit her i find a new piece to appreciate.....
    very cool write...you brought several of her personas to life...

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  3. This is a great poem, Kathy! I like your choice of adjectives and features. 'I imagine her to be benevolent,
    tolerant, open-minded -' this made me think of all the immigrants that reached NYC in search for a better life.

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  4. Very cool. It seems that personification is the preferred technique for this prompt, and you rocked it!

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  5. she's a fascinating and multi-faceted city for sure... i fall for her since she greeted me with cherry blossoms when i arrived.. smiles... a cool portrait of nyc kathy...

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  6. I think you have me convinced of the beauty of a lady.. The tolerance and openness.. Just maybe those hiding skirts are a blessing.

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  7. A very enchanting piece Kathy. For a moment, I almost forgot that we are talking about a city let along NYC! Truly a side that has not been captured by those movies and books.

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  8. I too wondered at first which city you could be describing - perhaps the quintessential city, which New York certainly is. I love the way you describe its diversity, its obvious and hidden beauties, the cold side but also the compassion...

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  9. Until you revealed which city she was, my mind meandered up & down both coasts, looking at the great port cities, or even some on the gulf. You did a masterful job building the eclectic view of her, looking at her boldly, warts, manhole covers & all.
    giving the city the feminine mystique is masterful, of course, but as a man, sometimes I tire at the romantic sexist tendency to assign female gender to vehicles, boats, planes, mountains (though I tend to think of volcanos as male; my wife disagrees, of course). I like the lines /she has flaws & woes/can be driven to fury/yet compassion is her strong suit/.

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  10. I've never been to NYC, but your words make me want to put it on my bucket list. A vivid, beautiful description.

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  11. This is fantastic Kathy, I know places like this at least like so many of the wonderful images you have written about. Excellent depiction of the features of a city.

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All comments, constructive and otherwise, are welcome and appreciated here. Thank you to those who show an interest in my quirky style of writing, photography, painting, and presenting a feeling or thought and for stopping by A Dwelling by the Sea..