I love my city, the city of Philadelphia

I grew up outside your limits, near you in the ‘burbs

amazed by your skyscrapers, watching from

grandma’s steps in the shadow of St. Monica’s –

you aren’t always pretty, but you’re a city

with pride and spunk, attitude and funk,

the engine of our region with a legion of fans –

behind the cheesesteaks and Rocky Balboa,

we know how much heart you have and

even if we speak rough and act tough,

underneath this grime and slime,

you have a whole lotta love inside.

(Photo of a mural in Philly from the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance)