The breeze of a Bergen County day
The pearly mountains of Newark
Stubble on your Italian neighbor’s double chin
This is New Jersey
You feel the white sands of Belmar beneath your toes
Teenage boys who misunderstand the Sopranos
Inhaling East Rutherford sewage
This is New Jersey
Smog-ridden skies of the Parkway air
The highest real estate taxes in the United States
Needles on Point Pleasant. Pointy
This is New Jersey and it is
your home
your culture
your everything
You are New Jersey
You are the paisan of paisans, your neighbor, your mother
your dog,
your cat,
your fish is a paisan
Can you hear it?
The groans of drunk Jets fans
The rushing of dirty Navesink river water
“You think you’re betta than me?” A slurred voice shouts
Betta than me. You hear it again.
New Jersey, you are better than me
I do not deserve you
No one does
No one appreciates you like they should
You are beautiful like a
Garden
That’s why they call you the Garden State,
my love