Poem: Now I’m singing in a Boystown bar

Mama always said the waves would hold me,

Keep me safe inside their blue embrace.

But I was dreaming past the palm trees,

Neon lights and colder days.

She caught me singing show tunes in the mirror,

Twirling in the glow of Waikiki.

Told me, “Boy, you’re something bigger,

But you’re scared to set it free.”

So I bought a ticket, I was eighteen,

Took a one-way to the sky.

Left the sunsets for the skyline,

Had to see if I could fly.

Now I’m singing in a Boystown bar,

Under lights like movie stars.

Windy City’s got me now,

And they’re calling out my name so loud.

Mama, don’t you cry for me,

I’m not the boy you thought I’d be

But Chicago’s got me shining bright,

And I finally feel alive.

Winter cut me down, but I got stronger,

Learned to stand when the cold winds blew.

Found my people, found my fire,

Built a life I never knew.

People cheer when I take the stage now,

Throwing roses at my feet.

They don’t care where I was raised, now—

Only what I came to be.

I used to think I had to hide it,

Be the good boy you could keep.

But Mama, I am not a secret,

I was always meant to be seen.

Now I’m singing in a Boystown bar,

Under lights like movie stars.

Windy City’s got me now,

And they’re calling out my name so loud.

Mama, don’t you cry for me,

I’m not the boy you thought I’d be

But Chicago’s got me shining bright,

And I finally feel alive.

I know you still pray for me,

That I’d trade these dreams for sand and sea.

But Mama, I was born to be

More than just a memory.

Now I’m singing in a Boystown bar,

And they love me for just who I am.

Windy City’s got me now,

But I still hear the waves somehow.

Mama, don’t you cry for me,

I’m more than you thought I’d be

And I swear I’ve never felt so free.