Leslé Honoré is a poet and the author of “Fist and Fire,” “Brown Girl Brown Girl” and “My Brown Boy.” She is CEO of Urban Gateways and the mother of three Chicagoans.
A note from the author: When asked to imagine what Chicago would feel like in 2050, I immediately thought of all of the people who are working hard to plant seeds of change across Chicago. Seeds of hope that will be harvested by other people they may never meet. This poem is a tribute to the residents in all 77 neighborhoods, those who work with a deep love for this city and a desire to make it better for the next generation.
“Emerald City 2050”
We planted seeds on trains and sidewalks
In neighborhoods we were warned not to go
In sand
In parks
In schools
In 5th floor policy
We planted equity
Sustainability
Accessibility
Hope
We dug in the earth of
South Side concrete
West Side disinvestment
North Side separation
We planted
While fear
Tried to suffocate the soil
We watered with tears of grief
Tended with hands of resistance
Now we harvest
Now we collect
Now we breathe
Lake air
River air
Indigenous
Sanctuary air
Black man-founded air
Air that smells like freedom
Smells like connection
Feels like dreams made real
Feels like
heart
home
healing
Feels like Chicago made whole
ZIP codes don’t determine death
Empty lots are littered with
Arts and laughter
We bent the arch
We feel like justice
We are public love
We dreamed in darkness
Held hands in prayer
The aid
The respect
The work
Was mutual
Was collective
Was intergenerational
Multilingual
Across identities and orientations
It was and is
Diverse
Inclusive
Empathetic
A revolution
We planted
Now we reap
Fill the baskets of our souls
With an abundant
Return on investment
Joy
Enough to hold us together
Enough to share
Enough to endure
And it is
Beautiful.
Leslé Honoré is a poet and the author of “Fist and Fire,” “Brown Girl Brown Girl” and “My Brown Boy.” She is CEO of Urban Gateways and the mother of three Chicagoans.