Jersey City Poem by Ray Hansell

When I think back to my youth
I can still recall
The people I grew up with
I honestly liked them all

We'd pass the days hanging out
Listening to music and sports
When it came to playing the games
We were all self taught

Some could throw, some could run
Some could hit the ball real far
Most of us one day believed
That one day we'd be a star

We may not have been that good
But we never refused to play
We were always playing something
On those long summer days

Stickball, kick the can and sometimes tag
This was how we passed the days
Doing so many things
Having fun in different ways

You see when I was young
Electronic games did not exist
So back in my youth
Those were things we didn't miss

So we'd do things to pass the time
So many games we played
Through the years the memories
In my mind have always stayed

BUt what made them special
Were not just the games
It was the people I grew up with
To this day I remember their names

Rickey, Bobby, Dom and Andy
Just to name a few
I think of them and I wonder
What they all went on to do

Each had their own talent
We all had to find our way
To one day make a living
As we lived from day to day

We knew all the people
Who lived in the neighborhood
Some were rude and mean
But almost all were good

Right there on the corner
Of Greenville Ave and Scott
We'd be there in the winter time
Also in summers that were so hot

You see that was the corner
Where we would all meet
It was there we tasted victory
Along with some bitter defeats

Back then we didn't think much
Of what was ahead down lifes road
We figured we'd always be there
With a story to be told

But some moved on and married
They had a kid or two
Some moved out to the country
Where the air is fresh and still smells new

Others went and left the state
Somewhere else to find a job
I'm sure that for a few of us
Life at times was somewhat hard

I know as long as I live
Where I was born is no longer pretty
But in my heart there's a special place
In my hometown of Jersey City


11-28-06/RJH