Atlanta is My Home.

face like sweet potato pies
   full of auburn avenue's history;
face like civil right movements
   civil wars with battles for equality;
face like stone mountain's engrave
   remembrance of southern cultures arrive;
face like hot kitchen ovens
   too hot summers to play outside;

American is my legacy,
   Georgian is my family,
red dirt held a life sown,
   Atlanta is my home.

face like Harlem's thrills
   West End cooks up cultural flavors;
face like Beverly Hills
   Buckhead strips cruise expensive savors;
face like Centennial Olympics
   venues and parks remind of glorious days;
face like phoenix from ashes
   arisen from fires less marks of rays;

American is my ideology,
   Georgian is my civility,
hospitality in flesh and bone,
   Atlanta is my home.

face like congestion
   traffic stacking frustration on Grady curve;
face like Moses' following
   churches find figures in high reserve;
face like corruption
   political leaders secure their destinies;
face like high rising buildings
   success sliding in reach for our families;

American is my mannerism,
   Georgian is my bio-rhythm,
southern wombs carried me too long,
   Atlanta is my home.

Mark Anthony Thomas
Copyright © 2004

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