Mythical Chicago

Once "City of Big Shoulders," Stockyards and industrial concerns: A man's self-worth measured By muscle and energy burned. Today the stockyards are shuttered, The Face of Livelihoods changed; From Meat-packing and Manufacturing--- To Financial Services and Video Games. Serving loyally with blind dedication, Following only a high school education, Lifetime stints at one factory or plant, Today simply ain't where it's at: Mere shards of memory Of what life was before Everyone had a college degree, And sought work in a plush office indoors, As opposed to lifting heavy two-by-fours. Looking back at Chicago's history Over the last century, Our task is this simple question to ask: Have we moved ahead and progressed? Are our lives any better? Or have we reversed and regressed--- Spending the prime of our lives studying letters? It's easy to end a poem on such a note, Leave the reader to cast his or her vote; But I'll not finish off with a nod a wink, I'll let you know what I actually think: Chicago was rough, Chicago was tough, Her denizens coarse and gruff; Not much for culture or fashion, Artists and poets she was constantly bashin.' Workingmen reveled in their muscles, Frequently engaging in tussles With their bosses over hours and wages, Oft-ending in fisticuffed rages--- And the workers sentenced to 6' x 8' cages. Gangsters like Capone and Dillinger flourished, By slimy politicos encouraged To extort and shake down Workingmen all over town, At deserted sites with nary a copper around. Sometimes we look back and forget how it was, When education and the arts were slighted, And even good neighborhoods were blighted: Where an ugly picture emerges Of exploitation and funeral dirges. So let us be grateful for what we have in some precincts today, And hope that Chicago's future points to an even brighter day.