Our Hometown

The press has been located in Northern Virginia for the past four years, yet in spite of that, we still consider ourselves Philadelphia-based. No town, area or city in Northern Virginia holds the same hometown feeling for me. When we find ourselves back in Philadelphia, speed walking down those wind-tunnel streets, it feels comfortable. It feels like home. I lived there seven years, but for the press it was only two. We have published a number of Southeastern PA poets, yet they are probably equal in number to the out-of-state, or even out-of-country, poets. But, as I said, when we're walking down the tree root-cracked sidewalks of Philadelphia, things are never the same. Stores have changed purposes or locations, new corporate retail stores have gone up, houses have been razed to be replaced by high-rise aparments. It's not always for the worse, but it's always changing. It used to disappoint me that I didn't know what was where, but it doesn't so much anymore. I'm used to the change.

I miss the town. I miss it very much. There isn't a week, or perhaps a day, that goes by when I don't wish I were back there. If we had the means to live there we would. Unfortunately, Washington is actually paying me a living wage. I have not yet been offered that in Philadelphia. Maybe some day. I'll keep trying.

In the meantime, we will be keeping tabs on our cranky city, wishing we were there in spite of the drunk people loudly singing "fly, Eagles, fly...", in spite of the endless fluorescent orange street construction, in spite of the suburban Jersey kids who treat it like hell because they think they can. I hope that the Phillies win the World Series, that William Penn will allow this one. It's overdue for our much-maligned town. We're rooting for them down here- in our Philadelphia home in Fairfax, Virginia.