PAST DUE
(I’ve revised this poem several times;
this is DEFINITELY the last revision!)
’98
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-Los Angeles to New York,
3.500 mile express
to the early ’50s –
next stop, Nostalgia Village,
connect to
long-ago memories,
of past lives, past times.
-All aboard!
-Ride with Miss Rheingold
on the Third Avenue El,
dial MUrray Hill 9…
CHelsea 3…
Mel Tormé headlines
the Paramount stage.
-“Top of the world, Ma!”
shouts Jimmy Cagney…
walk a mile to the Camel sign…
Pérez Prado, Jake La Motta,
Bill Haley rocks ’round the clock…
the Giants win the pennant!!
the subway goes up to a dime…
-Step right in!
-Guaranteed to relive
those Brylcreemed, cool-cat,
Tito Puente – Tito Rodriguez,
mambo-beat Palladium nights.