Date: August 28, 2015
First assignment in my third SAGES
Course at CWRU ~ the last elective
To check off a box and appease the
Collective; "Letters to Cleveland"
To introduce all our selfs to this
Class at Case, just in case we all
Accidently forget that what's seen
In front my face is, in fact, that
Same exact Rust Belt whose books &
Baby blues I'm destined to study &
To read is exactly where we all be
Currently residing, and there Dave
Lucas resides over fresh sophomore
Classrooms ~ observing ~ so he can
Grade my work & guage words' worth
Poem inspired by an old college assignment I stumbled upon. The course was on Rust Belt Poetry & Literature, so shout-outs to both Cleveland & Dave Lucus, my Poet Professor.
Original assignment from 08/28/2015: “Letter to Cleveland”
I was born in Columbus, but I’ve had countless experiences in Cleveland that shaped my early childhood. My first birthday was in Cleveland; I spent at least half of my summers in Cleveland growing up; my grandparents took me to the Museum of Natural History for the first time – an event that started my interests in the sciences. These are the memories I think of when I feel nostalgic, not the ones made in Columbus where pretty much all I did was school and soccer. Cleveland was where I escaped the redundant life of my hometown. Unfortunately, as I got older, my schedule didn’t allow as many trips and I noticed my time in Cleveland slowly disappear until it turned into only visiting for holidays.
Fast-forward a couple years and I’m a senior in high school. I end up choosing Case for college. It’s a great school for my major and it’s a good distance away from home. That was pretty much my only reasoning – the fact that it was in Cleveland didn’t even cross my mind other than the distance factor. However, when I finally moved into my dorm, it felt like I was reuniting with a childhood friend. I saw places that I had forgotten about or only had a vague memory. The weirdest realization I had was that the Museum of Natural History, which I hadn’t been to since I was about six, was down the street from me.
Though it was nice seeing Cleveland again, it took a while to get used to living here all the time. I would have to say that I didn’t really enjoy living here for my first two years. It wasn’t bad, just okay (though that could be due to living in dorms). It wasn’t until I lived here this past summer that I finally began to love this place. It was like when I was a kid again – I spent the summer away from my parents and I got to explore numerous places I had never been. I’ve never had so much fun.
Now that school is staring, I’ve realized that I didn’t just love Cleveland this summer because of the fun and freedom. I realized that Cleveland had actually changed me – and that it had been changing me since I started attending Case. All of the classes I’ve taken, the responsibility I’ve developed from living on my own, the people I’ve met – all of these factors have helped make me into the person I am today. I’m not just loving Cleveland, I’m loving the person Cleveland has helped me become. I can’t imagine how I would have turned out if I hadn’t ended up Cleveland in this time of my life, but I know I’m happy with how I’ve grown and look forward to continue growing in Cleveland.
♡Sugar☆World☮ 