An Ode to McKeesport

August 22, 2023

Dreams

Below a cloud of sadness and despair

McKeesport Area High School houses determined minds

Into the heavy clouds, the bright eyes of dreamers’ stare

Hope is not a foreign concept within the Mon Valley

In fact, the Valley is the place where true dreamers reside Valedictorian of the class of 2023

A young woman goes on to achieve her dreams of becoming a teacher

Her best friend, salutatorian, faces the Big Apple on her way to the big screen

With stars in their eyes and the Mon Valley behind them

They can do anything

Tube City is not what it seems

We are not bad for we all have dreams

And we can reach them just like anyone else.

Escape

A crow is born in the branches

Subject to violence and anger

He knows not how to fly, so he never really tries

Beaten down and shoved into a cage

He loses hope and can only remain

But wait, the crow catches a glimpse of light in the distance

The light of Tube City

He takes a stand and rises from the ashes of who he was assumed to be

Born as a crow, evolves into a dove

He spreads his wings and flies towards the light

Searching, and finding, a life of better opportunities.

Sights

One does not come to stare at your sights

Your abandoned Coney Island is not very visually pleasing

This is just a fraction of your natural beauty

A beauty that none expect to see

The soft, dark green grass in Renzie Park

The scent of tasty barbecue wafting from the Blue Top

To see you, to truly see you, is to see this

Your sky behind the clouds is as bright as your dreamers' eyes

McKeesport, you give outsiders a wonderful surprise

Family

In Mon Valley, we are all tied together

We hold a strong bond with one another

It may not be easily seen

But it really is there

"Once a Tiger, always a Tiger"

Are these words familiar?

They are more than just a simple phrase

They are the McKeesport oath

Promising that we will always stick together

An Ode to My Valley

McKeesport, my home

Home to more than just criminals

You protect the dreamers, the crows

The doves and the Tigers

There is more to you than what they all see

Your beauty is in the eye of the beholder

From Renzie Park all the way to downtown

Laughter dances on your wind

Local children play in your gentle breeze

My sister thrives within your community theater

My brother sees a future because of your city baseball league

I find myself finding myself amongst your people

McKeesport, Mon Valley, Tube City

You are proof that one should not judge a book by its cover

  -    Nie’Zhay Jefferson