Tuesday, September 27, 2011

chapter 16

WELCOME, HOME

he arose early-stopped for a pack and a joe

here we go...

he came around the corner-dressed to the nine's

(never looked so fine)

"welcome back, jack-impressed?"

"i have climbed aboard your horse" "keep your finger's crossed-i've a meeting with the boss"

"yes"

he thought

"par for the course"

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

chapter 15

"REPUTATION THIS"

i am a man of no invisible means

NAME:
me and i are gemini

EDUCATION:
i am lettered in B.S.

MUSES:
Sport
Music
Literature

GOALS:
i am waiting for godot

HEROS:
Mom

pal o' mine
palindrome
where u ares'
where i call home

(a man , a plan, a canal, panama)

A Paradigm, wrapped in a riddle, rolled in an enigma...

{as are we all}

he licked and sealed.


"laura, cash me out- and give this to paula"

chapter 14

THAT QUIRKY CARD STORE

he lived in an area not unlike greenwich village

sidewalk cafes-street walk pantomimes-used record stores

galore...

old fashion clothes sold anew.
(piccadilly circus)?

he walked to the card store.

looking for? he was not sure,

yet knew he would find.

he rifled thru

a slew

then found a picture of

daltry and townsend

live on stage...

inside

3 words

"who are you?"

he registered and returned

sat at the bar

"another turn...

coffee back"

he pulled out his pen

gold cross

(came in a set with a note

here's to success)

((e tu hermano...))

he wrote...

chapter 13

SATURDAY, SATURDAY...

Jack was married to the daughter of a preacher man.

They would spend their nights before the sabbath in the company of other couples.

Usually, dinner and a movie; or bowling.
Many of these evenings were spent in revolving residences.
each of the couples in their circle, in turn, would host.

Since jack & diane were the only childless couple among the group,over time,
more evening's were spent at their house than others...

Diane was a good cook- and charades, or monopoly, or the game of life that followed dinner could not be interrupted.

After dessert, coffee and goodbyes, they would retire to their bedroom
for short, missionary position sex.

then it was the proverbial lights out

so to speak

for the room was already dark

Sunday, September 18, 2011

chapter 12

THE TOUR

coming soon-

Saturday, September 17, 2011

chapter 11

SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALL RIGHT FOR...

Among the amenities included:

live music in the lounge

friday and saturday nights.

(friday's were single-man's night out-saturday?-date night)

most saturday's he visited... (alone)

{"easy lift to the walk"
"i mean-easy walk to the lift"...}


a duo

paul & paula

(no, not them) yet they always covered

"hey, hey paula...."

one night-she visited

"is this seat taken?"

"yes-it belongs to you-i have been saving it for weeks"

"where are you from?"

"my mother, aren't we all?"...
"sorry-new york"

"i should run right now-reputation"
"wham, bam, thank you mam"!

"no, no you misunderstand"

"got to go"


on stage

"this is for the man in the pinstripe suit"

she offered a sultry, jazzy rendition

of

"smooth operator"

he downed his drink

"laura-keep my tab open-i'll be back in a few blinks"

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

chapter 10

7TH INNING STRETCH

"did you know this place got built by a shrewd move by the mayor in funding the '64 world's fair"?
(with a little help from his friends)
"it's where the frisbee got introduced"
before that the met's played at the old polo grounds-as did the jets-tho' they were called the titans"

"we hosted a fair 1900, i think-the ice cream cone was introduced"

"speaking of food"
'when's the cafeteria going to open?"

"when we are half moved in"
"we have 6 floors occupied- 1 every 2 weeks is on the horizon-"your operations people want to make it an issue"
"but, everybody else is just across the street"

"what are you going to do with the exec's?"

"don't know- not my problem-i work for the tele-co that's why we did not address in the bid process"

"tomorrow,we will offer you possibilities -take note"
"enough shop" "how about a dog?"

"sure 'nough or my name ain't E.T.
-willie mcgee"
"order-why i go see a man about one"

Monday, September 12, 2011

chapter nine

ARC OF THE DIVER

he rolled over
heard commotion

people had wandered out from the bar...

looking up



saw a man

standing on the roof

of the lounge

he jumped

a perfect dive

into the pool

he surfaced

"are u a fool?"

"no, sanjiv patel"
"at your service"

" are you suicidal?"

"no, the amount of water in accordance with the jump was mathematically appropriate"

"mathematics are the art of the possible"
" why did you do that?"

"i like attention"

"i hate it"


"what's your name"?

"you can call me johnny quest"
"can i buy you a beer,haji?"

Saturday, September 10, 2011

chapter eight

NEW YORK NEW YORK


Jack met Nick in the lobby of the marquis

"what's shakin', bacon?"

" so nice to see you-how you been?"

"chillin' like a villain"
"how be you?"

"got 2-a little birdie spoke in my ear"
"coney vs. andujar" "are you game?"

"for shame, for shame, of course, I'm game"

"loser buys dinner"

"that's a winner"
"my redbirds' are gonna kick your metropolitan ass"

" game on, let's go- pedal to gas"

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

chapter seven

REMEMBERING ALOUD

Hart & Rodgers, the brooklyn dodgers, jolly rogers'

Elliot (Win) mortal vs. venial sin, 1st sip of tonic and gin
marty&spin, rin tin-tin(when cans were tin and a fin was a fin)

sky king-crosby 2bings
white christmas-pepper piddlin'
i can see my breath
holiday-caroling

small town parades-a game of charades
sentimental serenades-penny arcades
(where's time gone?)
lost decades

michigan rummy, hang the dummy
mom's cooking
yummy yummy
love in my tummy
sundays before church
stone-man the mummy

eel fishing-basket swishing.
youthful, hopeful
forward-wishing

Lennon's blister-game of twister.
bridget joseph
sister-sister
mister-mister
gary wister

P.F. Flyers-clothes line dryers
mickey retires
in 'Nam we mire
don't get me started
you'll raise my ire

coco the clown-catch a flies up
spy on the headlights
right after Sup

sonny fox- soupy sales
(white fang-how come i see F & u see K)
wonderama-where's doris day?
dock of the bay-or danny kaye
have we lost our way?

topps gum-bazooka joe
colonel bleep
G.I. Joe
clyde crashcup
&
leonardo

mr. truby, Begonia, ruby-ron kuby
scooby-brothers doobie-1st peek at a boobie

breyers' peach ice cream; a re- occuring dream
abe beam-your little league team
clams that steam
canned goods in Popa's pantry
elmer gantry

jack&dolores-charlieðel
the kemps-the schicks
the lefkos-the quicks
(natasha&boris)
donald&doris

piggy-back fights
"is the hun up yet nights"
playdo-lego
duck, duck goose
Bullwinkle
moose

catching frogs
lincoln logs
red rover red rover
a 4 leaf clover
musical chairs
ginger rogers&fred astaire

(almost over-not yet quite there)

red book-the suffolk sun
peter pan-freedom land
candyland
john updikes' rabbit run
sally field as
flying nun

stick a fork
now, i'm done

time to go-time to go
there could be so much more
you know, you know

like sand fleas and horseshoe crabs
fond moments and unpaid tabs
or
john diebner-lenny boyer
anticipation in nanas foyer
perry mason-trial lawyer

blow fish-sea robins
curbside dams-squirting clams
holiday meals
with the whole flam dam

little africa or gaynor park
the boogie man
in the dark
the herald angels
Hark!
with Tiger's bark
campo, mark

kick the can-manfred mann
hardy&stan
stan the man

venus of paradise
al rice
a rabbit hutch
the Pa. dutch


salisbury park-a bike built for 2
the bronx zoo
me and u and a dog named boo
cuckoo ka chuw
(coleman, choo choo)

have grinder, will travel
the egg man
now bang the gavel
i'm outta here
hope you r a fan...

gil hodges-old codgers-hornsby, rogers

(hart & Rodgers,the brooklyn dodgers-jolly rogers)

what goes around comes around

on this merry go round

we are captive on the carousal of time...

he put down his pen.

"thanx my lady of the canyon-you'd never believe who is sitting across a pool of water from me"...

when he looked up from his tablet

he was alone again, naturally

Saturday, September 3, 2011

chapter six

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS


"The Plaza"
sat on a king's way
across from a forest lawn.

Once upon a time, it was regal
(well, if the only game in town)

{in the basement ballroom- the ghosts of freddie blassie,
george "the animal" steele,haystacks calhoun
and gorilla monsoon
still reside...}

It got so popular they added a tower...

later

progress reported

and two new hotels in the city center nearly put it down.

New owners took charge-converted the high-rise into apartments

come live-with all hotel amenities included:

he moved in.



Since Jack was in the city that does not sleep...

he thought he should take a stay

"I am not going to work today".

instead- pool side

(tho' it was a grey,overcast day)

{he had the place to himself}

his boom box

a little Tom Petty

a beach towel

a tablet and quill...

come what will.

out of the entrance

came a man

thought he knew him from his farmer's tan

he came closer...

"hello, mr. zimmerman"

he chuckled.

walked around the pool

and sat across ...

(without a soul to bare witness)

he thought of "subterranean homesick blues"

a method of writing that attempts to exhaust rhyme schemes to death

"let's give it a shot"

he thought, "why not"


he picked up his pen

"if not now, when?"...

chapter five

ROOTS

he was born in a small town, where they think small thoughts and use small words.

But not his kin. They were forward thinkers.

he was summoned to a parental conference. Must have been 15 going on 16 years young.
(he knew the drill, 2 had come before)

"Time to start thinking about your future kiddo"
(time has come, the chambers brothers-he thought)

"Options"

"graduate from high school and go to work"
better get a job soon. you are going to need transportation and pay room and board.
Or- you can commute to one of the local colleges.
start saving for a car. you can live here free.
Or
you can go away to school. not too far-it costs money to get back and forth for holidays and semester breaks.
we'll do all we can,but money does not grow on trees.
and Florida is off limits-you are not spending college lying on the beach"

his first lesson in options...

(tho' this was a no-brainer)

"can i sleep on it ? "

and that's about the time the dream began.

he had been schooled in psychology that everyone dreams; yet never remembered any of his own.

"try a pad and pencil, bedside. first thing when you awake write down what you think"

1st try. he wrote.

"i want to roll over and go back to sleep"

and then one night...




he is sitting in the classroom. it is his final, final exam. pass this test and you graduate from university with a degree.

and as the students filed in and the room began to swell, so did his chest-fore he recognized no one.

and when the teacher walked in- a man he had never seen before-he asked, gasping for breath-

"isn't this the Art's final"

"no, no, that was yesterday"

and that's when he sat up in a cold sweat and realized,
terrified, he was at home in bed.


and from that night forth

time and again

that dream would rear it's ugly head

over and over again...

Friday, September 2, 2011

chapter four

HE SEZ

he sez

something stupid
(frank and nancy)

he sez

something profound

he sez

something funny
(acts the clown)

then quotes a renowned

he relates a story

maybe from his past

then he is silent

(a repast?)

someone asked

who is he any way?

He is you.

he put down his pen.

"i wanna be a writer but i know not when"

he announced to an empty room

he gazed at his watch. A gift from his brother.
(another reminder-live in the praesens)

"jack should be touching down, at j.f.k.

if you can make it there...

or am i just lost in camelot?"


he needed to lie down...

if not sleep.

chapter three

FIELD OF DREAMS

"Jack, i am not asking you to go ask the higher-ups to redesign the 42nd floor"
"let's not get ahead of ourselves. It's a business trip, 2 nights-1 full day. See how executive services work
in the real world. Some of your board members sit on Boards like our New York accounts... you got to see the kind of service they demand.
"we need to cover our asses jack. the 1st time Zane gets cold eggs, believe you,me
the yoke is gonna be on both of us"

"Sounds like a self-fulfilling prophesy "

"i don't need the weatherman to tell me which way the wind blows"
" and i ain't never seen shit roll uphill" "when that forklift fell on you and they gave you last rites
and yet you recovered-but you'll never walk again, and now your on 3 softball teams?"
"it changed you, didn't it? in a way you can't talk about to people in your life-especially your wife"

"Live in the now, Jack"
"this is your one shot"...

"Take It"

Plus you'll have fun. Nick will be your guide. And i see the redbirds are in town.
what would you rather? the mets or a show?"

"Go"

"go sell it on the mountain"

he left his office convinced...

if you build it they will come.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

chapter two

THESE ARE THE BEST OF TIMES, THESE ARE THE WORST...

he had a couple of hours before his face to face. Needed space. A quiet place. (requiem for an ass?)

he laughed.

Not far from work (a short hike for a jerk) was his respite.

Flowers and trees-the scent in the breeze- could bring him to his knees
Oh Lord! Please?...

The best was the carp pond.

Teeming Teeming

unlike the seas...

Metaphor

(teams and seasons)

"He's a baseball fan" he said too loud-for others heard

"sorry- speaking to myself, i am not too proud"
(not part of this herd)

{back to point-focus}

{Gashouse Gang}
pepper martin

((remember, Popa said)

{ticking , ticking}

pinstripe man to redbird fan

there's a plan...


{random thoughts in the head of an innocent man)

as he exited

"how was your visit?"

"perfect as usual

thank you mam'"

{make your pitch

take a stand...}



he gazed at his watch...

time to smell the roses...