Towns to Cities

Growing up in a small town, I noticed the subtle shifts that slowly reshaped it into a city. At first, I was either oblivious or clueless about how to navigate the two worlds, and so I drifted along—half a witness, half a stranger.

I drifted somewhere between the two, never quite knowing how to belong in either. Towns held their roots, cities demanded growth. And I—caught in the middle—learned to adapt, even without a clear sense of belonging.

In the town, I was told to shrink myself, to not stand out. In the city, I found myself trying not to lose my identity—told to stand out, but not too much.

I’ve seen how culture shifts—what’s cool, what’s new, always changing.
“You’re different,” I’ve been told.
But in city spaces, “not different enough.”
Either way, all I hear is: not enough.

I’ve seen generations grow old, and younger generations arrive—each carving their own space, yet creating divides too. A fragmented society, moving fast, leaving me somewhere in between. Either way, I was falling short of benefiting from both the town and the city.

I had to lose myself and find myself again.

And through it all, I became grateful for my identity—not rooted in place, but in persistence. Not tied to one landscape, but to the ability to move through many.

Cities rise, towns transform—but somewhere between them, I found the beginnings of myself.

Always,

Zahra

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