San Francisco Raised

By: Julia Murray

My beautiful city,

San Francisco.

The land of song,

The land of dance,

The land of festivals,

The land of love.

Grateful I am to be born and raised,

Californian.

Loving, accepting, caring, brave it has made me.

Once I had to live,

San Francisco held me in her embrace,

Whispers in my ears to remember her.

As she helps pack my bags,

She reminds me of the lessons she’s taught me,

Be kind, be brave, be strong.

Remember you have a voice,

You can move mountains,

Shine brighter than a thousand stars.

As if San Francisco is my mother sending me off to college,

Talking about all the adventures I’m going to have,

All the people I will meet,

As silent tears grace her face.

Driving me to the airport,

Saying to call and text,

While still knowing our lives will get busy.

Many moons have passed since leaving,

Life has gotten busy,

When the wind picks up and throws my hair back,

I take it as a kiss sent all the way from home.

So far away and so close I feel,

Once again I smell the ocean breeze,

I hear laughter and friendship,

And I see her standing on a shoreline,

Smiling.

Yours Truly, Julia