Boston is sometimes called the Hub of Universe and that may have been so at one point. But today in my life, Boston symbolizes all that once was. I was once a mid-level marketing manager for an Internet Start-Up in Cambridge, MA. I have lived for a Summer in Malden at my Great-Grandparents home, with my Grandmother. I have gone to school at UMASS Boston studying Asian Religion with Dr. LaFarge. It was a special place in my memory. Having lost a dear friend that was all that Boston could be, hard-working, community-minded, and kind-hearted, Boston is now the place where his memory resides.
He loved the new seaport area of Boston, showing articles off to his international friends. I have never been to that new revitalized part of Boston. My Boston is of the late 1990s. It is a place in memory, if not in actuality these days. I don't know Boston anymore. I am glad it is on the verge of having it's first person of color as mayor. That will be historic and meaningful for the city. It will be about time too.
So Boston, you city of winning sport teams and Irish pubs. Your North End Cannoli-lined streets no longer beckon me with promises of gourmet cappuccino and excellent Italian cafes.
I no longer sit on your MBTA into Harvard and Central Square. I have no friend to see the Harvard Art Museums with, no Mexican food in Harvard Square restaurant. I am no longer tied to this city, I am a stranger here as much as I have ever been anywhere.
So Boston, congrats, this exile has seen you've moved on without me. Your jail is a hotel. Your elevated highway all underground. A new greenway to the Emerald Necklace showcases art I've never seen. You shining city on a hill, you town of frustrated women and men, your Puritan past plays havoc with us all. I will carry a part of you with me, Boston, but I won't be going back. You're lost to me.
I've moved beyond too and I've changed I am no longer a yuppie chasing stock option in Central Square's tech bubble. I've seen the shady side of Boston and I'm done.
I'm in the mountains now far from the shore, and I see water in the lakes and rivers, not in the Atlantic. I'm home to pierogies and haluski and no longer eating fried clams with the bellies and lobster. I'm bound to the Poconos now. And this Boston that was once my home, is only a memory.