"I Am Saint Louis" 6/27/24 12:49PM

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"Time. 6/27/24 12:49pm. Location Poem was written. Sharpsburg GA. Home, Saint Louis

Doesn’t matter where I live in the world!

Chicago. My home is saint louis.

Los Angeles. My home in saint Louis

No matter where I visit in the world

Nassau. My home is Saint Louis

Dublin. My home is saint louis. It doesn’t matter.

Will you support the Atlanta braves? If the cardinals aren’t playing…maybe 

You must love living in a town with a football team. You live the falcons right.

My football team play in the UFL and their name is the battle hawks.

I am saint louis Missouri, through and through. I am toasted ravioli. I am imos pizza. I am bread co. My first date was at a pasta house. I got married in forest park

my order is a Half order of shrimp fried rice, a shrimp Saint Paul sandwich, a peach vess with some egg rolls. EVERY SINGLE TIME FOLKS.

Good and bad, saint Louis has my heart. I love a cardinals game, but I also want to see ball park village stop enforcing strange dress codes like “No jerseys, athletic shorts, sagging pants or shorts, or bandanas”. We know who you are talking about. And also the venue is 15 steps away from Baseball heaven…BUSCH STATDIUM. 

I love Nelly, Jayson Tatum, David freeze and Stan the man

I can smell the food trucks in tower grove park sitting in my house right now.

I hear the music at the botanical gardens. I can feel the fans blowing during intermission at the Muny. I see the kids rolling down Art hill.

I remember falling asleep on the floor at saints during the lock ins. Wearing baby blue Air Force ones with a baby blue Micheal Jordan North Carolina jersey on and a pair of gah-bows.

I can taste the donuts from pharaohs donuts. I can taste the beer at schlafys. I can taste my grandmothers greens. I’m wearing a STL HAT here, there and everywhere. I don’t own a hat with another city on it. People have Seen my hometown pride in magome, tsumago, Kyoto and hakone.

How can I be me without my city.

I hear miles Davis in Mexico, I see Black Lives Matter in Ireland. 

I know that Ferguson is 12 miles from downtown STL.

I believe that I’m a force of nature, because of my city. You don’t scare me. You don’t know what I’ve seen, but also the love that I share comes from the people, the music, the food, the community that raised me.

My white Air Force ones with the gum bottoms if you know you know, but to most it isn’t a dead give away. The way I say therr slips out from time to time. My favorite quarterback is Kurt Warner. May not say you much. My closet has 38 items that say either STL, Saint Louis, Kirkwood, or the wood. But you can’t get into my closet. My father played baseball with Nelly back in the day, my grandfather use to bodyguard for Ike and Tina on the east side, I was on the cover of Louie magazine in high school, OH what high school did I go to you ask? Kirkwood class of 07! I have an 30 pack of Bud select in my refrigerator downstairs here in Georgia right now. 

All these things but what you truly need to see is this.

I’m a young black man, raised by a single mother on the south side of STL. I’m not rich, I’m not a monster success. Where I’m from, I knew people who never left the city. I knew people who were murdered, I knew the difference between fireworks and guns as a child. But I’m alive. I’m married, working on a family. College grad, and proud of my hometown. 

I am a visual representation of saint louis. The city comes in different colors, shapes and sizes. But it’s 

Strong.Loving.Smart.Hard.Old.Beautiful.Ugly.Troubling.Confusing.Inspiring. Growing.Big.A wee bit racist.Yet progressive.Historic.Conservative. Free. I mean everything. The zo

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a good time this year
.
This is going to be kind of alittle break in the season
Instead of me doing multipleshows while I'm out of town.
When I used to do this inseason one, I would have a poem
every week and I kind of startedto stop doing that.
They weren't really gettingmuch traction, but I've heard
people say they wanted to hearmore poems.

(00:22):
So this year, instead of doingit every week like I did the
first, I wanted to do a month ofjust poems.
So we're going to be in Rome.
I wanted to make sure that Ihad something consistently
coming out every week.
So this is going to be thefirst of those four weeks of
poems.
Without further ado, let's getinto the first poem of the
season.

(00:42):
The first poem of the season.
I am St Louis, june 27, 2024,1249 pm.
Location poem was writtenSharpsburg, georgia.
Home, st Louis, missouri.

(01:04):
Doesn't matter where I live inthe world, chicago, my home is
St Louis.
L world, chicago, my home is StLouis.
La.
My home is St Louis, no matterwhere I visit.
In the world Nassau, my home isSt Louis.
Dublin, my home is St Louis,doesn't matter.
Will you support the AtlantaBraves If the Cardinals aren't
playing.
Maybe you must love living inthis town with a football team.

(01:29):
You love the Falcons, right?
My football team play in theUFL and their name is the Battle
Hawks.
I am St Louis, missouri throughand through.
I am toasted ravioli.
I am Emo's Pizza.
I am Breadco.

(01:49):
My first date was at a pastahouse.
I got married in Forest Park.
My order is a half order ofshrimp fried rice, a shrimp St
Paul sandwich, a peach vest andsome egg rolls.
Every single time, folks, goodand bad, st Louis has my heart.

(02:12):
I love a Cardinals game, but Ialso want to see Ballpark
Village stop enforcing strangedress codes like no jerseys or
athletic shorts, sack and pans,bandanas or you know stuff that
you know what they're talkingabout but they aren't saying.
And also, the venue is 15 stepsaway from a baseball heaven,

(02:34):
bush Stadium.
Why not wear a jersey, weirdos?
I'm sure that all of this stuffisn't the same as it used to be
when I used to live there, butit's something that I always
found weird.
I love Nelly, jason Tatum,david Freeze, stan the man,
albert Pujols, yadier Molina.
I could smell the food trucksin Tower Grove Park.

(02:58):
Sitting in my house right now.
I hear the music at theBotanical Gardens.
I can feel the fans blowingduring intermission At the Muni.
I see the kids rolling down ArtHill.
I remember falling asleep onthe floor at Saints During the
lock-ins, wearing my baby blueAir Force Ones, with the baby

(03:20):
blue Michael Jordan NorthCarolina jersey on and a pair of
Jabot's blue Michael JordanNorth Carolina jersey on and a
pair of jabos.
I could taste the donuts fromPharaoh's Donuts.
I could taste the beer atSchlafly's.
I could taste my grandmother'sgreens.
I'm wearing a St Louis hat here, there and everywhere.

(03:42):
I don't own a hat with anyother city on it.
People have seen my hometownpride in Magome, sumego, kyoto,
hakone.
How can I be me without my city?
I hear Miles Davis in Mexico.
I see Black Lives Matter inIreland.
I know that Ferguson is 12miles from downtown St Louis.

(04:12):
I believe that I'm a force ofnature because of my city.
You don't scare me, you don'tknow what I've seen.
But also the love that I sharecomes from the people, the music
, the food, the community thatraised me.
My white Air Force Ones withthe gum bottoms if you know, you
know, but to most it isn't adead giveaway.
The way I say, thar slips outfrom time to time.

(04:34):
My favorite quarterback is KurtWarner, may not say you much.
My closet has 38 items that sayeither St Louis, stl, kirkwood
or the Wood, but you can't getinto my closet.
My father played baseball withNelly back in the day.
My grandfather used tobodyguard for Ike and Tina on

(04:55):
the east side.
I was on the cover of LouisMagazine in high school.
Oh, what high school did you goto?
You ask Kirkwood, class of 07.
I have a 30-pack of Bud Selectin my refrigerator downstairs
here in Georgia right now.
All these things, well, what youtruly need to see is this I'm a

(05:18):
young black man raised by asingle mother on the south side
of St Louis.
I'm not rich.
I'm not a monster.
Success when I'm from.
I knew people who never leftthe city.
I knew people who were murdered.
I knew the difference betweenfireworks and guns as a kid.

(05:38):
But I'm alive.
I'm married, but I'm alive.
I'm married, working on afamily, college grad and proud
of my hometown.
I am a visual representation ofSt Louis.
The city comes in differentcolors, shapes and sizes, but
it's strong, loving, smart, hard, old, beautiful Ugly.

(06:32):
Loving, smart, hard, old,beautiful ugly.
Troubling, confusing, inspiring, growing big, a wee bit racist,
yet progressive, historic,conservative, free I mean
everything the zoo, the artmuseum, etc.
It's home, it's me.