I’ve been pining for Chicago these past few weeks, so much so in fact that I wrote this poem about that greatest of Midwestern cities and its suburban sprawl that leads north to the towns of Lake County.
Chicagoland
Chicago,
Now more than ever you call me.
Black canyon grid-work,
Good-natured laughter,
Wind blows off the cold empty lake.
Northward,
Waukegan, little fort.
Ravines and concrete,
County seat, little Mexico.
Zion, City of God.
Founded in madness,
A maze of sunday-school names,
CCC the hub of the wheel.
Gurnee,
Riverbank main street,
Overgrown river-roads,
Malls and McMansions.
Chicagoland,
Lakeland, Lake County.
Once a home, now a land desired.
Windy city,
I never underestimated you:
Your snow-stained blacktop,
Your cleansing sun.