City Slicker

Rick was born
And grew up
In the city,
And was used to
The hustle bustle
Of all kinds of people
Coming and going,
Frantically trying
Trying to get
Someplace quick.
He was single,
And had a small,
But relatively expensive,
Studio apartment
Conveniently located
A couple blocks
From his office,
In the heart of
The downtown area.
Rick walked to work,
And had a choice of
More than a hundred
Different restaurants
Within a ten minutes
Of his place.
It was also within
Walking distance
Of the university
Where he graduated,
And was surrounded by
Theaters, parks, museums
Hotels, fitness centers
Singles bars and discos,
As well as a healthy mix
Of high and low end
Shopping areas.
The area was trendy
And fashionable,
Populated by people
From almost every
Conceivable ethnic persuasion.
He was used to hearing
Six or ten different languages
During the course of a day,
Which added flavor
And an exotic mysticism
To his daily routine.
Public transit was available
All hours of the day,
Perfect for a city
And a young man
On the move.
He thrived on the noise
And the chaos,
And couldn't imagine
Living any other way
Then the way he was.
Life in the suburbs
Was not even in the realm
Of possibilities.
Life in the countryside
Was unimaginable.
His life consisted of
Work, working out,
Eating out, and socializing
Amidst fitful bouts of sleep.
He had occasional thoughts
Of finding someone
To share life with,
But he was having
Too much fun being single
To give that idea
Serious consideration.
Besides, he was still young,
Just twenty-seven years old,
And wasn't really ready
To get tied down yet.
He had had several
Possible encounters with fate
But they hadn't worked out,
Much to his mother's chagrin.
He kept slim and trim,
Unlike his friends
Who had gotten married.
He worked out at the gym
Four or five times a week,
And played basketball,
Baseball and football regularly,
Depending on the season.
On weekends
He frequented the jogging trails,
Often running for miles
Along the trails and parks
That magically intertwined
Throughout the city.
His pad was decorated
For comfort and style,
Elegant but practical.
Fancy enough
To impress almost anyone
If he chose to invite them,
Yet few had witnessed
That side of him.
He actually was
A fairly decent cook,
But never liked
Cooking for himself,
So he almost always ate out.
He preferred adventuresome
Ethnic fare
As oppose to fast food
And regular American cuisine.
He liked Thai and Indian food,
Greek and Persian delicacies,
Italian ice cream
And sushi restaurants.
He liked eating in
European style
Outdoor cafes
Where he could sit
For hours and hours
Watching people
As they walked by.
His life style
Afforded him
Both the time
And the opportunity
To contemplate
The world around him.
Sometimes he would
Drop in on
Poetry readings
Or go places where
Live music was
Being performed.
Though there were
Museums were all around,
He seldom, if ever, went.
They just weren't
His “cup of tea!”
Like everyone else,
He cursed the traffic
From time to time,
And complained
About the ever present pollution,
But in general,
He just ignored it,
And concentrated on
Enjoying living the moment,
No mater what
He was happened to be doing.
He liked the feeling
Of being an urban professional,
And was always well groomed
And impeccably dressed,
A class act, but one
He was extremely comfortable with
And proficient at.
He relished the company
Of scholarly minds,
Wiling away the hours
Discussing philosophy,
The economy and politics.
This was one of the benefits
To living in a university town,
And why he chose to stay.
He was as much a part of the city
As the city was a part of him.