Tuesday, March 27, 2012

in the dark





lift a glass and raise a cheer
to the stuffy bankers of yesteryear
the snooty dowagers, the butlers stiff
the girls named josie, and the guys named cliff

the cop on the beat, with his face so red,
the bookie with his hat tipped just right on his head
the cabbies, the waiters, the hat check girls
the saucy debutantes tossing their curls

the windbag senator, the girl reporter
commissioner johnson and mayor mcwhorter
newsboys, shoe shine boys, cracking wise
all right - break it up, you guys

the playboy spending grandfather's dough
chester - you should invest in our show
i'll get back to you on that, sweetheart
aw come on - all i need is a start

abbie the tailor - his cobbler pal moe
watch through their windows - the whole city on the go
you call that a suit - you call that a hat?
i can do you much better than that

the sky's the limit - it's looking good
if they could see me in the old neighborhood
standing on the corner with benny the dip
just before he gives me a tip

on the fifth horse in the seventh race
how did i ever come to this place?
trying to get the big story?
trying to cover myself with glory?

don't send me again to the debutantes dance
please, muggsy, won't you give me a chance
this story is just about to get hotter
and i can blow it right out of the water

i know the story is pretty tangled
but hey - i got an angle
the cops are doing it by the book
but i think i see something they overlooked

there's never been a story like this before
with horror you'll gasp, with laughter you'll roar
your mouth will fly open, with delight you will squeal
when it all comes together in the last reel




Sunday, March 4, 2012

jewelry





no doubt, gerald,
you will say that
the devil made you do it

no, aunt ,
the devil didn't
make me do it

nor did i succumb
to a sudden impulse
or ungovernable passion -

i did not need
the money
and was not playing

a prank
or being initiated
into a secret society

i was not
making a statement
about the modern world

or being
lured to my doom
by an evil, scheming woman

i had no plans
to travel to china
or tahiti

no, i stole your
jewelry
for one reason only -

because i am
totally, irredeemably
corrupt -

outside

on park avenue and 89th street

the wind
tested the leaves of a london plane tree