Home was named after Sam,
A place known for gas and oil,
A place that houses 2.1 million people and is the fourth largest city in the US,
A place where we have an openly gay mayor,
A place called home,
Home has many different names for many different reasons:
Screwston,
H-Town,
City of Syrup,
Space City,
Clutch City,
Bayou City,
Drank,
Lean,
Purple Stuff,
Styrofoam Cup...
Home let’s me be free,
he mentored me,
he housed me,
he molded me,
he lives vicariously through me and I him.
It has taken years for me to explore his land and I haven’t seen everything he has to offer
The various amount of activities at different venues around the town keeps him
inspired,
hip,
tasty,
funky,
savvy
Waking up to a morning drive to eat at ‘the breakfast klub’
Taking a stroll to see the art at the Menil Collection
Eating hot dogs from ‘Moon Tower Inn’
Meeting new friends at ‘Discovery Green’
Seating reservations in the evening at ‘Underbelly’
Great set at Fitzgerald’s by the band
Ate again, this time at a local food truck ’The Rice Box’
End the night at ‘Southside Espresso’
Send him my farewells for the evening just to see what he has in store for me tomorrow.
Different day, different locations, different people….same pattern, same routine, same city
‘Eatsie Boys’
Brewery tour at ‘8th Wonder Brewery’
‘Frank’s Pizza’
‘Eleanor Tinsley Park’
‘The Pass & Provisions’
‘House of Blues’
‘Koagie Hots’
‘Double Trouble’
He wraps his city with loops and freeways,
He knows it takes time to get to places,
He has an average commute of 27 minutes anywhere,
He understands that a few cities are bigger than him,
He laughs when others complain about driving places,
His writings on bridges says “Remüv Hate” and “Be Someone”,
Powerful words that every resident witnesses each and every day,
Powerful words to give Houstonians a sense of pride,
Powerful words THAT give Houstonians a sense of pride,
Powerful words…
Trill
Famously used term by Bun B and Pimp C…RIP
“Concert Against Hate”
Bun B performs with the Houston Symphony
Thug
A word that underlies a racial term,
A word that the city doesn’t find harmful,
A word used in a rapper’s name
“Slim Thug Brings That #BossLife To City Hall”
Feb. 25, 2014…A proclamation celebrating involvement in the community, officially making this day Slim Thug Day in the City of Houston
“Houston, Houston, Houston”
“This is how they made me, Houston, Texas Baby”
“Perhaps we’ll meet again, on some sin-infested street corner in Houston, Texas”
“Man, Houston’s the town…Man, whatever you do, Don’t leave Third Ward out”
“If you ever go to Houston better walk right”
“Bright Lights, Houston is hot tonight”
“Houston is filled with promise”
Home
The first section describes Houston and gives the readers little known facts about the city. The nicknames came through time as different trends around the city began. I put in the drug names because when people hear Houston, that comes to mind. I made Houston a Man, a representation of a father for me since I have lived there my entire life. This five adjectives I wrote down are from a mural that is painted on a building in downtown. I then go on to put down a few activities that I do over a two day period when I am home. Most of the time I am out exploring the city and finding new ways to entertain myself so I can show other what they are missing, because the one thing I hate is when people blame a city for their mishaps. The city has a lot to offer and a lot of people don't see that because the city is so large. I had to put the driving time it takes to get around the city and what to expect when you expect to drive around the city. I used Slim Thug and Bun B as examples because they do tremendous work for Houston and I believe the set a standard for what it means to be a Houstonian and how to represent the city. The lyrics are just from songs that have mentioned Houston or have some sort of tie-in with Houston. I am from Houston and absolutely love my city. I plan on moving back after I am done with school and plan on visiting a lot. I would like for other people to visit and just see how a big city operates. The people and the atmosphere are different and it can be both a humbling and overwhelming experience when trying to take in all of it at once.
Songs in order of lyrics...
Dean Martin ‘Houston’
Beyonce ‘Run The World’
ZZ Top ‘Heaven, Hell, or Houston’
Juke Boy Bonner ‘Houston, the Action Town’
Bob Dylan ‘If You Ever Go To Houston’
Igg Pop ‘Houston is Hot Tonight’
R.E.M. ‘Houston’
Eric,
ReplyDeleteI can tell that you've put A LOT of work into this personification from the variety of sources you've woven together with your own experiences and the visual stylistic choices that you've made. There is also a sense of movement at times, such as when you start at "the breakfast klub" and wind down at "Southside Espresso." In some ways, I feel like you've combined the Camera Eye, Newsreel, and personification here. This fusion can make the writing tricky to follow at times, but also produces an impression of Houston as a character, which is just as useful. Indeed, the form you use helps remind us than trying to pin down any location, particularly a place a large and diverse as Houston, is always difficult. We can capture only pieces. Nice writing!