I am N.Y.C


I am N.Y.... I hustle, struggle, bustle, and never try to put my mouth in a muzzle...
I am free speech in all its glory and language... prolific, eclectic, ebonics...
I will speak in any tongues' just so you can understand who I am...
I am NY and I can be quite definitive.

I am N.Y.... where down is not an option its a curse...
yet I rise and try to reach to scrape the skies for a chance to see the sun shine...
and when it shines it pours like confetti during a Macy's day parade... pick one.

I am NY... where sometime you might find me in Chinatown or Korea town...
whether in Manhattan or Flushing...
and don't excuse my slanting eyes as an angry facial expression...
because I feel you're trying cheat me to get a cheap deal from me...
fool that’s my hustle, I start high, look mad but get you to take my price...
give you that false smile, but your just another suckah in the bag. That’s life...

I am N.Y.... and speaking of life... try walking my path...
it can get harsh and dark real quick from 205th to Flatbush Ave.
Even Jamaica... and I'm not talking islands'...
so don't expect a cold drink but a cold dose of reality...
But its not all bad…if you’re lucky I’ll show you the soul of a renaissance...
show you that it’s possible for roses to grow in this concrete jungle…
trees do grow in Brooklyn...

I am N.Y.… make sure you follow my lead, watch my steps, watch your back…
Know where you’re going and where you came from…
You think you’re in Manhattan, but before you know it you’re lost in China…
and all of a sudden you’re in Italy… follow me and I’ll show you the world.

I am N.Y.… In some way’s I am always wealthy…
whether I’m upper, lower, or middle, any night could be my last supper.
I am a poor man's bum who can't afford the slums but I walk with a swagger of a Trump...
wont see me feeling like I'm down in the dumps.
I am a dollar away from a dream... can you spare a dollar?? Fuck that stick em up.

I am N.Y.... I too can smile...
Smile at the fact that even when I lost my twins that surmounted to more than 1000 lives...
my fellow Gothamite's made sure I would be ok...
I can smile knowing as individuals my people are strong…
but unified we are stronger than any 50...
A city of false angles I am not, nor am I the devil's sin city…

I am N.Y. I live in N.Y.… You Love N.Y.… I am the truth...
I am N.Y. always changing yet still staying the same…
I am a corrupter, a teacher, a student, and a contradiction…
I am a working progress and I work for progress.
I am N.Y. ....

By, C. Manuel R. Galvez