New York is a city in perpetual motion

Not by any means a tranquil ocean,

Its millions going, always going night and day

Round and round, back and forth, in every way,

It’s here where people bring their dreams

Searching for the spotlight’s beams

In this land of silk and satin

To taste the glories of Manhattan

And her sister boroughs, too.

Indeed, what they say is true

If you can make it here, you know the rest,

It holds the very meaning of life’s zest.

There is more energy here and power

For the creative life to flower;

There is rarely any dark

From the Battery to Central Park.

Everything is possible here

And fame and fortune are always near.

Out of the vastness of the crowd,

Someone will step up and make us proud.

Truth to tell

The bad come here as well.

We accept the entire human range

No matter how weird, how strange.

We are more than just a melting pot,

There are lots we are and lots we’re not.

We are the go-to place, the top spot

For those who aspire

And sing their song outside the choir.

We are not for the faint of heart

But for people who want a running start

New York is the greatest city on the planet, I swear,

Come here at your peril if you dare

But if you do arrive

Prepare to strive

You’ll feel a lot more alive

If, however, you are too scared to try

Then you better pass us by.

-W.A.