—Anonymous
If one day someone asks me a question regarding New York City, I will defiantly point out to the poem “To New York” by Leopold Sedar Senghor. This great masterpiece is one of my favorite poems. I also considered it to be a “great work” because it introduces New York to the readers by revealing what is good and what is bad about this city. The beautiful ladies, the diverse communities and the skyscrapers that are counted as one of the unique aspects of New York, all reflect the attractive side of this city. On the other hand, materiality, poverty and homelessness, all reflect the ugly side of New York. I found Senghor’s way of describing New York the most accurate since I have been living here for about six years. In this poem, New York is described: “No tender word, and no lips, only artificial hearts paid for in cold cash.” I would say that, and I am a poetry reader, I never read a text that describes coldness and emotionless in an amazing way as Senghor does here. Besides the materiality that cash holds in meaning, Senghor describes it as being “cold” which I believe emphasizes the coldness of this city. With all this negativity, however, New York is still one of the most important cities not in the United States only but as a worldwide level. I read this text at a time when New York and the whole world is going through a very tight situation. Many people are dying and suffering around the world because of the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19. Sine New York is one of the most important cities in the United States, it received the lion’s share of the number of people who are infected by this virus. After being in quarantine for almost two weeks, I can say that this is the most stressful moment in my life. I never imagined that I will reach a point in my life where I will be fearing losing one of my parents in a scenario like that. I never imagined that I will reach a point in my life where my dad will be laid off from his job leaving me the only one who supports the family financially because I am the only one who can work online. I never imagined not being able to go to college or to go to my favorite café. I feel like this city has given me all the blessings that I never dreamed of and all of a sudden it decided to take them all from me at once. Oh, New York. This city that holds a very special place in my heart is now infected by a very contagious epidemic. The city that embraces people from different backgrounds and ethnicities is now suffering from an invisible disease. This city that gave me the opportunities that I lacked back in my hometown and allowed me to discover all my unique qualities disserves to be mentioned in my prayers. Oh, my beautiful city. Stay strong as you always have been.