Writing Challenge, Day 3: Hometown

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For Day 3, I wrote a somewhat rhythmic, but mostly free verse poem about my hometown. Here it is:

Day 3: Talk about were you born and raised.

Louisville, Louisville

No, that’s not a typo. I’m from Louisville, Louisville.

Breeding ground of greatness.

So different from the rest of this state that it deserves its own standalone title.

Bourbon.

Derby.

Producing The Greatest to ever do it in the ring.

Been home to prominent actors, poets, athletes, journalists, and people who sing.

Contributor to baseball, history, culture, business, and food.

We wear red to support the Cardinals when we go vote progressively blue.

Home to rivalries stretching way back: Male vs. Manual, UoflL vs. UK, Indi’s vs. Kings.

Everybody knows somebody working at Ford, UPS, Humana, or GE.

White Castles & Big Red.

Grippos connoisseurs.

Hot Browns.

Mint Juleps.

Controversially proclaimed home of the cheeseburger.

Told you the food scene is huge lol.

But with pride also comes disappointment.

Educational disparities.

Economic division.

Food insecurity.

Gun violence.

Glass ceilings.

Both subtle and overt racism.

Micro-aggressions everywhere.

Career standstills.

Drugs viewed as a crisis for the white and “it is what it is, you know THOSE people” for everybody else.

All of these exponentially increased when your Black, brown, and from certain zip codes.

Locking the homeless up for being homeless.

Good in some respects, in others still needing to do better.

Louisville, Louisville.

Proud it’s my hometown, but it won’t be my home forever.