These tears, I'll remember--
Not of pain, but of bliss
To come from nothing,
To hear I'm nothing
I dreamt of bright, city lights
On the coast
A place in books and film,
A place I never visited
Yet, somehow, I dearly missed
That matched my spirit,
That matched my energy
Deep inside
That never slept
And I promised myself
One day, I'll see you,
One day, I'll walk those steps
Amid the tallest skyscrapers
Along with dreamers who never rest
Today, I did
Today, I felt at home among strangers
Some singing, some partially dressed
A melting *** of beauty,
A melting *** of truth
Everyone here has a story
And it's vibrantly confessed
An immigrant's hope
A young woman's liberation from her past
I cried tears of joy upon a park bench
Fulfilling a promise to a young girl afraid to act

© JL Smith