To the Old Blood of Portland

Portland, Oregon. Hipster kingdom. A city too young to be called solidified, and not old enough to be wise beyond years.

Me? An immigrant hipster perhaps. When I moved west, I did not know what lay before me. I was fresh out of college headed for the mountains of Summit County. Oregon was never meant to be more than a pit stop at Mount Hood and was only to last for the summer.

Never did I expect to find my love here. I did not know Portland is rated in the top ten cities in the states to visit, I did not know of the possibilities of catching early morning runs at Mount Hood, a late lunch of sushi in Portland, and a wave or two at sunset in Pacific City, all in the same day! I did not know of the area's exotic wild beauty, the city's artsy environmental focus, or the people's liberal lifestyle.

What I'm trying to say is I did not seek Portland out. It just happened. Portland and I met unexpectedly; we had mutual friends and mutual interests. We had never heard of each other so everything was fresh, wild, and exciting; our relationship just fell into place. Our young love was beautiful, and we decided we wanted more. We wanted a future together, but we did not know how we were going to make it work because our pasts were worlds apart.

We had our falling outs and I even left for awhile. The time apart only served to strengthen our bond because the feelings did not fade. That was when I knew: Portland and I, our love was real, as real as it was new.

I mean no disrespect. Being young, hot, and seemingly available, I know Portland attracts many. Special treatment is not expected. I know I am new, I know I have to wait my turn, and I know it might be a long time before you can accept me as true, as part of Portland. The initiations have only begun. Swanky frados telling me I can't have that job in that pathetic dump of a restaurant, telling me I can't have that room in that cracked out garbage sty are only meant as a test of my true character. I refuse to let these, or any other clenching jaws tear me down.

Just so long as you know I am here, you can ignore me and push me away all you want. I want to be of Portland, and my hipster heart will not be leaving anytime soon. Portland has given me an ideal, and I will not settle for anything less.