Dear Boston,
As a native Western Massachusettsian, I have spent my entire life explaining how I'm not from Boston. Boston is the city you go to see Red Sox games, you go visit the New England Aquarium or Faneuil Hall on school trips, or go to Logan airport to pick up your relatives from an overseas trip. My relatives live there and I spent many holidays out there celebrating. When I moved to Florida, it was really hard to explain that I didn't live near Boston. Living an hour and half away in MA gets you to a completely different part of the state. Down here, it won't get you out of the same city in some cases. Boston has always been that part of me that I tried to separate myself from because I was proud to be from Western Mass.
But Boston is the heart of Massachusetts. It always has been. Bostonians are my people. Today even more so Boston is my city. The Patriots, the Soxs, the Bruins are my teams. The Mass Pike is my road, hell the Big Dig is my project, falling concrete and all. So to all of you who don't know Boston, let me tell you about my town. My town is a town that is strong. There has never been a point in history where Boston quaked in fear. Boston stood up to the British, dumped the tea in the ocean and organized farmers and everyday people into warriors fighting for freedom and creating a new nation in their wake. My town is a town that is loyal. Anywhere you go in the country, people proudly tell you they're from Boston and wear their Sox's and Patriots's hats even in New York where it can get you beat. More than anything my town is a town that is tough. This will not break Boston. Boston will not meekly and quietly melt into this tragedy. As I saw online today, "Boston is probably the only city that if you f*ck with them, they will shut down the whole city...stop everything...and find you." Don't think for a moment Boston won't be back up and running and fighting and drinking and living and laughing before you know it. Don't think that the Boston Marathon will not be back next year and bigger and louder and more in your face than before. Don't think that Boston won't get stronger from this, it always has and it always will. I am from Boston, I say that proudly; not because I don't love Western Mass, but because I love my state and all my state has and is. Boston keep fighting, stay strong and more than anything, get those bastards who tried to mess with you.
Love,
KT
<3
ReplyDelete