I’m living in a borough

That was known for drugs, crime and aids

Where the streets and the subways

Taught me one thing

That behind each face

There is a story

And each person has made their own mistakes.

As I walk across the streets

I watch men and women

Trying to survive the next day

Tossing cans into machines

Hoping to get some spare change.

Change is what they ask

As they rise their heads

To the summer heat

Beaming down on them.

They walk with their head low

As people walk pass by

Because they feel self-conscious

And don’t carry a sense of pride.

People need help

the question is

do we wait for something to happen

or do we unite together to make actions?

Our challenges don't define us

but rather our actions do.

They create reactions.

As you walk further down the street

at every corner

I see bodegas

blasting music

and playing dominoes

where everyone is filled with glee.

For we are humans that have flaws

and should understand that we all make mistakes

And learn to accept

That there is time to repent

And live life

Because you don’t know what happens next.

It's the little details you see that are untold

that has made this vibrant community

well known

from city to city

where Washington Heights remain an underground king.