She is one
of the most unique and original places,
With friends
that span all of the religions and races.
People have
trouble pronouncing her name,
Even though
she has some fame.
The world
watches her on the first weekend in May,
To see which
horse will bring home all the hay.
The world
knows her for her Bourbon with the Mint Julep being the one drink of choice
during the horse races.
She is the
home of the baseball bat. Who would have thought her of all the places?
She has
friends from every socio-economic class. Both rich and poor call her home. She
even offers a welcoming, warm hand, of food, shelter, and comfort to the lesser
of society who like to roam.
She is not
all good, however, in the highlands people can get quite wicked and weary, and
don’t go past Seventh Street because that can be somewhat scary.
Some say she
is bipolar because she is warm, sunny and clam one day. Then cold, wet, rainy, or
even snowy the next. You always have to be prepared to face her emotional
weather patterns.
She is constantly
awake 24-7. Through the week she works hard to meet the worlds needs, but on
the weekends she parties hard to escape from her priorities. Growing up she goes to Bardstown Road
to hang out, but once she turns 21 it is off to Fourth Street Live to bar hop
and figure out what having fun is all about.
She is all
about her sports. Half her family bleeds that Cardinal Red and the other half
that Kentucky blue, but at the end of the day no matter what the outcome they
are always friends.
She is very
family oriented and a bundle of fun.
She is a
stroll through the zoo to watch the animals’ play and run.
She is a
movie with her friends and a walk through the mall to look for new clothes. And
no matter how bad you may have ever wanted to leave, once you do, she is always
that place you will call home.
In this poem I described my home city of Louisville, which is a very broad city to describe because it has so many different types of people and personalities. I tried to touch base on what the people of Louisville are like in a broad sense and what Louisville is famous for. I also tried to touch upon what all there is to do in Louisville.
T.J.,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your piece because I travel to Louisville a lot for business. There was a lot that you mentioned that I did not know about it. I sensed some humor throughout your work which made it even more interesting. My favorite line is “People have trouble pronouncing her name, even though she has some fame.” You show passion throughout the piece for your home town. Most people like myself, don’t realize what all there is to do in Louisville and you informed the readers of some ideas, while telling a story. Great job!
Tj,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading you piece. I am new to Kentucky and have only really been to Lexington. I really liked getting to learn about a place in Kentucky other than Lexington. Your word choice in this piece is what really stood out to me. "You always have to be prepared to face her emotional weather patterns." I’m not sure why, but this part just really stood out to me. I pictured someone walking outside with an umbrella wearing shorts and a winter coat on. It made me laugh. I think you did a great job personifying your hometown. Good Job!
T.J.,
ReplyDeleteYour personification of Louisville captures a lot about the city. I like how you include some of the well-known characteristics, such as the Kentucky Derby and bourbon (especially mint juleps), while also commenting on some of the eccentricities such as how much trouble people have saying her name. The way that you conflate emotional shifts with unpredictable weather was a great way to try and embody something as intangible as regional weather in a character. All of your details contribute to the acknowledgement at the beginning of your personification that Louisville has a lot of diversity, even the section where you explain that Louisville isn't perfect---there are areas where you need to be careful. Good writing!
T.J.,
ReplyDeleteTo start at the beginning, I like how you said ‘the most unique and original places’ – so contradicting but so true! I also agree that people have a huge problem pronouncing it, seeing as there is a t-shirt with all of the different ways that people say it. I really like that you put rhyme with this, it’s something that takes talent if you ask me. I think it is good that you mentioned all of the hot spots in the city, and then some. There was also good closure towards the ending, so all in all I think you did an amazing job at writing this!