O, metropolis of legend
You were worth the wait with what you presented
It's a fact, you were not my first
But this fact is not to be lamented
I arrived in you
And you arrived in me, your beauty descended
I took you in as I had Paris, Rome, and Tokyo
But in your scope and scale I stood disoriented
Not to worry, though, not to fuss
In time I would understand you with your arteries so splendid
I'd come to adore you, it's true, some say
You're the greatest city ever invented
I played in you, I walked your museums
I saw a cemetery scene that shattered my senses
Across your bridges and in your parks it grew
My love for you, and now it's been documented
New York
Now I see, looking back
How your foundation really is unshakeable
You are firm, bold, resolute
And your spirit, well, it's untamable
Those Brooklyn streets: so varied and vast
Simply strolling them was inspirational
And standing, pausing, mid Williamsburg Bridge
Even in the summer heat gave me a chill most favorable
I said you're firm, but in ways you bend
When it comes to new ideas: you are persuadable
In your New School halls and sidewalk institutions
You speak the truth, unafraid to be confrontational
Your monuments abound; your scenes resonate with purpose
Your significance is undeniable
But what you really mean, deep in our hearts
Even with rhyme and verse that's, well, unexplainable
New York