Philly Senses

Philly tastes like
The sweet effervescent drinks from corner delis, tickling my tongue with tiny bubbles,
My teeth breaking through the Philly pretzel’s bronze outer crust,
Water ice melting into a colorful syrup and pooling in my mouth,
And, of course, the Philly cheesesteak drooling cheese over all of my fingers.

Philly smells like
The pungent aroma of perfume and cologne,
And the tangy scent of various cheeses to the subtle smell of succulent fruits and vegetables from local farm stands.

Philly looks like
The kaleidoscopic rose maze at the Wyck House garden,
Tall buildings piercing the clouds and reflecting the sky on its panels of glass,
The red glowing lights that read ‘Reading Terminal’ in the dark tunnel,
The shimmering dragon following a meandering dance beneath the soft glow of lanterns floating aimlessly like jellyfish during
Chinatown’s New Year’s Eve,
The glimmer of the Fourth of July fireworks before they fade into the inky black night on the pier,
And the many faces of the diverse community that lives here.

Philly feels like
My hands tightening their grip on the cool metal poles on the Septa bus as it skids to a halt,
The vibration in my feet at my train approaches,
The mist resting on my face as I walk by the Love Park fountain,
South Street’s unique art, food, and people that reside there,
The shining bronze light that reflects off of the hulking Liberty Bell, and its renowned crack,
City Hall’s intricate architecture and its proud, elegant stance.

Philly sounds like
Shoes clicking on the sidewalk,
The Silverliner V rattling the rusting train tracks,
The mellifluous sound of saxophone echoing through the train stations,
And the hum of construction drills.

Thirteen-year-old Ma’at Smith attends the Waldorf School of Philadelphia as an eighth grader. She has been a resident of Philadelphia for thirteen years, along with her three siblings, mother and father. She loves the outdoors and nature, the fine arts, reading, and writing, mainly fiction and poetry. Some of her many cherished books are the Harry Potter stories, as well as the Mrs. Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children series.