The Dismemberment Plan - The City

When I First heard “The City” by The Dismemberment Plan I remember walking down the streets of Chicago in inebriated bliss with my best friends. It was the third of July and we had nothing to be afraid of. Our glazed stares and false intuitions leading us to believe this is what our country died for. As we neared Michigan Avenue I realized this was not the day, nor the place to contemplate the way we are. But with this head of mine it could not be ignored. I took a blurred look at my reflection off the Nike Town windows and found I was lost. Not metaphorically, but literally. I had become too entrenched in my own thoughts to see the group had passed me by and not even stopped to ask what it was I was looking at.
As the sun set and the streetlights began to hum, I could feel the anticipation rising. The moon had shown itself and its reflection in Lake Michigan reminded me of the thoughts I had while staring at the window. As I gently gathered what it was I had been trying to say, my thoughts were interrupted by the sounds and colors of freedom. I look to see the one I’d been trying to find all night. I lie down next to her in front of the Buckingham Fountain and rest my head on her stomach. She felt familiar and the patterns of her breath changed with each passing explosion. I lose focus on the fireworks and turn my attention to her gaze. Her stare in awe and disbelief. She watched me watching her and our heartbeats assumed the haunting bass was coming from the noise above our heads.
I sat up and realized what my thoughts had been missing: direction. She caught my eye and I turned to face her. The grand finale, reflecting everything it was I tried to say that night.