ATLANTA IS MY HOME

face like sweet potato pies
......full of auburn avenue's history;
face like civil right movements
......civil wars with battles for equality;
face like stone mountain's engrave
......remembrance of southern cultures arrive;
face like hot kitchen ovens
......too hot summers to play outside;

American is my legacy,
......Georgian is my family,
red dirt held a life sown,
......Atlanta is my home.

face like Harlem's thrills
......West End cooks up cultural flavors;
face like Beverly Hills
......Buckhead strips cruise expensive savors;
face like Centennial Olympic
......venues and parks remind of glorious days;
face like phoenix from ashes
......arisen from fires less marks of rays;

American is my ideology,
......Georgian is my civility,
hospitality in flesh and bone,
......Atlanta is my home.

face like congestion
......traffic stacking frustration on Grady curve;
face like Moses' following
......churches find figures in high reserve;
face like corruption
......political leaders secure their destinies;
face like high rising buildings
......success sliding in reach for our families;

American is my mannerism,
......Georgian is my bio-rhythm,
southern wombs carried me too long,
......Atlanta is my home.

By MARK ANTHONY THOMAS

From The Poetic Repercussion Copyright © 2004