The 562

By Mike Sonksen

The 562 is a nexus:

A suburban, urban cross-section..
A small town big city,
affluent, yet gritty,
The 562 is somewhere between
The 605 & 710, Hollywood & Irvine,
Santa Monica & Anaheim..
The 562 is a good time ‘cuz
its people are down to Earth..
Blessed by birth to be born
Where the vibes are warm,
Catch that cool ocean breeze
Blowing in from the beach.
The clouds come from the south
As the coast winds
around the peninsula
of Palos Verdes..
The temperature is perfect..
This land was once marshlands
& Willow thickets,
Intercepted by the L.A River,
Now surfers & grandparents kick it..
The 562 is all-American multicultural,
Folks from Iowa to Cambodia,
El Salvador to Ethiopia,
Aviation Okies &
The aerospace industry..
Denizens OF Long Beach
Groove to Snoop Dogg & Sublime,
Garage rock & Freestyle rhyme..
On the streets of Long Beach
you can find
oil in Signal Hill,
Broadway’s
alternative lifestyles-
Art in the Sat Village, Downtown lofts &
Rockabilly chillers!
How many Poly players are in the NFL?!
From Joe Jost’s to the Prospector,
Cohiba to The Blue Cafe,
Drinking Sangria on a hot day,
Barflies cruise from
the 49er to Belmont Shore,
Fern’s to the V-Room.
The 562 is a window into the future
with lots of history..
Like the powerful earthquake of ’33,
The Pike is the place to be,
We salute Cameron Diaz
& her flavorful family..
Respect to Lakewood, Cerritos,
Bellflower, Paramount, Downey,
Hawaiian Gardens, Whittier, Norwalk,
Cudahy, South Gate, Compton
to damn near Bell Gardens..
Not to be confused
with the 310,
This is The 562!

In the middle of So. Cal,
but its own little world,
It’s another beautiful day
at El Dorado Park,
in the place
of my birth
& the home of my heart…