Save Me, San Francisco.

It's days like these that make me miss her. She's the only one I've ever loved because she's the only one I've ever known. She stole my heart at first breath and her name always lingers at the tip of my tongue. She's always too cool yet still so hot, especially on days like this. Her smile shines as bright as the sun as I look up and see clear blue skies all around me. It's the first week of May & with my headphones blasting I walk out of my house to the always bustling streets of a downtown San Francisco morning heading to campus for the last time in flip flops and a t-shirt. She's warming up day by day and my heart is melting all along.

It was a perfect moment between us and so I recounted all the time I’ve spent with her. I've been by her side for the last two decades. Her outstanding beauty will always lure me into her and make me stay here too long. Her skin, compromised of all the colors and tones of the rainbow, reflect off little flecks of gold on days like this. The lush green of the golden gate park where we bike ride on Sundays, the blue water reflecting a clear blue sky over Alcatraz, the vibrant red of the historic bridge still standing & making a name for this tiny but mighty city by the bay, all reside in her eyes. Even the concrete grey of the financial district buildings glimmer in the light as the rays of the sun bounce off the windows and light up each narrow street as I walk to my beloved bus station thinking about how much this city has truly changed my life.

She's seen me through my dark phases and raised me up to my brightest days. She's nurtured me back to health and I've ran to her loving arms because she's like a mother to me. She’s taught me many lessons as I've pranced around these city streets since I was a child. Each district being my own personal playground so full of distinct flavors like wonderful home cooked meals. Every time I fell she rushed to me and kissed each bruise as softly as the wind. I walked all over her and she willingly allowed me to, first wearing the newest light up action sneakers on my way to Pre-K and later in my cap & gown rushing up the hills to get to the church on time. I've come to know every inch of her body. The map of her as unique as a fingerprint forever embedded in the palm of my hand.

She's seen me change with age and helped me grow all while loving me unconditionally because it is she who has made me who I am. She seeks individuality in the multifaceted, talented and talentless souls searching for inspiration. She accepts the unaccepted and she embraces each for their uniqueness because she is also an abstract piece of art created on canvas stretching out 7 miles by 7 miles. She is beautiful, day & night. As the sun above her sets, she covers each of us with her aura, a light blanket of cool mist. As she lulls me into a deep, restful sleep beneath the fog she steals my heart away.

“I was so high I did not recognize the fire burning in her eyes. The chaos that controlled my mind. Whispered goodbye as she got on a plane. Never to return again but always in my heart...”