As seasons change, so does the concrete sidewalk on Chester Street,
Running through cycles of integrity and degradation
Footsteps marching on to obligations pass by those with none
Or who chose to avoid them
Cultures and colors change with time but never the life
Chester Street vibrates with essence:
round-the-clock music, loud talking, midnight fights, hookey, double-dutch
Never mistake the drunks for the underprivileged; they're the bearers of ancient tales
Oral tradition will pass on their stories to those younger footsteps without obligations,
Or who chose to avoid them
Chester Street is the carcass of the American Dream
It sits in the valley of like-streets lighted with wishes and procrastination
It beckons to Democrat's sympathy, proves civil rights' activists' assertions,
symbolizes America's hidden backyard
Yet Chester Street generates culture unseen,
Sliced off secretly in pieces, filtering into the mainstream
Chester Street never gets credit
Some fellas say they have dreams to move on to a better suburban life
But they don't have all night chillin' on the block there,
No drinking 40s
No spontaneous parties
Just the good life
That's all, just the good life
Chester Street is an all-inclusive package; that's why some people never leave
Residents have gotten cars, only to drive up and down Chester Street
And the vehicles never have license plates
There's a playground with clearly defined basketball courts in the neighborhood,
But it doesn't have the feel of ball bouncing on Chester Street's sidewalks
There's a park several blocks down, but barbecuing on Chester Street gives food a homely feel
No need to visit Atlantic City when fellas can just pop out a deck and it's on
The girls they court are Chester Street girls
Mall shopping done at the corner store
Chester Street is memory to those who escaped its lure
It is a wonder in reflection
A pleasant laughter at life so different
Yet they can never really escape
Chester Street gives definition, sets parameters
So wherever they go, they find borders for Chester Street,
Could be the block
The neighborhood
The city
The suburb
The country
The World
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