Community Update

In this poem, Don Peery reflects on Benicia and some of the happenings and the difference, perhaps, between being a city and a town:

Benicia, the City

 Benicia the City is much like Benicia
the town. 

They share the same location on
the map;

the same streets and gutters, schools
and parks;

the same population; the same past
glories.

For city-folk, there are Papa’s
and Sailor Jacks,

and dining out on the street at
the Union Hotel,

all with fine wines, cocktails,
and up-scale menus. 

The towns-folk have Sandoval’s, the
First Street Café,

and the Benicia Grill on East
Second Street.

The city-folk have coffee at the
Relik and Starbucks;

ice cream at the Double Rainbow and
Baskin Robbins.

The towns-folk have coffee at Rrag’s
and Java Point

Café, and Thrifty ice cream at the
drug store. 

Mostly, we work away from our
city/town

during the day, returning at night
and on weekends

to homes, family, and
friends.  There’s not much occurring

in winter, spring and fall except
for school,

after hour sports, library visits,

trips to the store and city
council meetings.

But in the summer, we all get
together for Thursday

evening farmers’ markets, Friday
night

movies in the park, or strolling
downtown

enjoying the shops and the breeze
from the bay. 

And every year in July, we line
First Street

to see family and friends marching
by

or riding on floats in celebration
of where

we have been and how far we have
come, affirming

who and what we all will be
tomorrow.