While visiting Chicago, I was inspired by Carl Sandberg’s classic poem, composed in 1916. Sitting on a bench, Chicago River in front of me, Chicago Tribune behind, surrounded by fellow travelers like me, I began pecking at the Sandberg inspiration, with maybe an idea for a poetic update. . .
Culture catcher for America middle,
Sheltering sojourners in midwestern winter,
From first founder, free black Jean Baptiste Point du Sable
and then a thousand journeymen later, strong and able
You became Gatherer of Lake to River glories:
Chicago! great Stacker of Stories,
in the Land of ancient Potawatami
later enabling a million settlers’ opportunity!
With peoples Kaskaskia, Illinois, LaSalle and Jolliet met;
Then Algonquin, Mascouten, Miami with Marquette.
A six-mile canoe portage between River and Lake
was no small chore,
Diverting pioneers’ smooth steerage in days of lore,
Until the Illinois canal came by blood, sweat and tears,
And then a jazzy brass section in latter years.
And if that wasn’t enough to stoke your stack
Those swamp-whippin’ Chicagoans turned the River back
so it flowed westerly through Illinois to the Mighty Miss’ip
carving out a great waterway so any good ship
could navigate American hinterland from the Hudson
through the Erie to Lake Erie to Huron and Lake Michigan
even making a turnaround and doin’ it all back again.
I mean, it’s My kind of Town! (as Sinatra later sang)
Westward ‘cross the prairie it rang,
Busy, bustling, bravissimo,
Easterners came; some Westward go
Rolling by wagon and locos and boats
Breezin’ past the corn and the wheat and the oats.
And there they were on Lake Michigan shore
Hoisting up the American Dream more and more
Digging and hoisting and building and founding the Store
Enterprising rising made the first skyscraper ever!
when they raised up a steel beam with one hell of a lever!
American commerce from door to door
Sears & Roebuck , Montgomery Ward, Marshall Field and more!
Next thing y’know they’re light’n up a World’s fair
and making elevators instead of stairs!
When Tesla told Edison that AC was the way to go
Then lit up Chicago World Fair just for show!
Showing off with that newfangled 1893 fair
In the midst of the new electrifying air
City of big, bustling Dreams
generator of winning teams.
Cubs and WhiteSox here
Bears and Bulls snorting opponents’ fear
Blackhawks on ice; no! they aint nice.
WhiteSox took World Series thrice!
Capone and Moody; both dwelt here
With gangster gear v godly fear.
’T’was both gang and Gospel territory
Outlaws gunned down in clouds of glory!
Oh, thou coarse and strong and cunning city,
piling load on load, job on job, smooth and gritty
tireless as a dog with tongue a-lapping
rising high as eagle flapping.
Soft seashore cities send their untamed to you
to be tested, unrested; in the busted sod you grew;
sodbuster hinterlands; plowman crops commands
harvesting, shipping to fulfil American demands.
"Oh! by the time we reached that Chi-town
Them Bears was a gettin’ smart."
They're all Midwesterners with brains, brawn and heart!
Ramping up a real convoy of strength
In American heartland of Continental length.
I mean, only the Green Bay boys up the coast
had more NFL titles, but of victories, Bears had most!
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