Best Yorkers Poems
I made a trip to New York
and surely looked like a dork
staring at the sky
scrapery so high
(and sometimes ogled a nork*)
I took a walk to the dock
heard so many kinds of talk
from seething masses
(and some were asses**)
all I could do was just gawk
I went out to Ellis Island
'cause Woodie*** says it is myland
and it is yours too
it just wouldn’t do —
to exclude folks from the high lands
deserts, swamps or wherever.
I think we should endeavor
(since most of us once,
were just immigrants)
to welcome them forever
or give it to first peoples,
tear down our pious steeples.
Stop saying we care
(if it is hot air)
Stop our slaughter of sheeples!
I tend to ramble a lot.
My trip to the melting pot?
Was a WOW I’d say
and maybe one day
I will return at a trot.
Salute to souper Ilene
(a fan of, I’ve always been)
and to that Billy
who is so silly****
They live in that crazy scene!
~~~~
asteriskus explanus:
*aussie slang word (google it)
**not all were asses — overall I found New Yorkers much less rude than I had expected (based on what I’d been told)
***Guthrie - the folksinger
****According to hisself, souper Sillybilly Thekidster
Titanic down
Lifeboats adrift
Many saved
Many missed
On the scene " The Carpathia "
To the saved ones
The real White Star
Off she steams
New York ahead
Leaving behind many dead
Pier 54 this saviour docks
As New Yorkers race to flock
To witness survivors of this tragic ship
On her Maiden Voyage did she trip
April 14th, 1912 she shone
April 15th, 1912 she was gone.
Going through a closet,
I was quite surprised to find
Several shopping bags of t-shirts
That my son had left behind.
While looking at them, one by one,
I realized they portrayed
His entire growing up, through college,
Starting in first grade.
The school shirts featured P.S. 6,
Then Wagner Junior High,
With a special few from Stuyvesant,
Where high school years flew by.
Another group had characters
From movies or TV –
Pee Wee Herman, Austin Powers
And the Simpsons’ family tree.
There was Beavis, there was Butthead
And the South Park kids, as well
As World Series shirts and Yankees;
(We’re New Yorkers, you can tell).
Favor shirts from his Bar Mitzvah
Nestled near the travel trove –
Shirts from Scotland and from Israel,
Plus some places where we drove.
Then the final category,
From his favorite billiards hall,
Where the hours spent resulted
In those plaques upon his wall.
As a grown-up and a parent,
His collection’s surely grown,
But I love these sweet reminders
Of his younger self I’ve known.
A cart selling hot dogs and such
Was suddenly sharp to the touch
Because thousands of bees,
Eschewing Chinese,
Thought a frank they would like very much.
They swarmed to the top of the stand
So a cop, likely one in command,
Ordered all off the street
So the bees could retreat
But that’s not what the stingers had planned.
Thus an officer, bee-suit attired,
Soon appeared with the tool he required
And his vacuum did suck
All the bees it could pluck
With finesse that onlookers admired.
New Yorkers find stuff like this funny
And likely would bet even money
That soon that same cart,
If its owner is smart,
Would be selling you hot dogs with honey!
The Coronavirus is like gossip
Stay at home and stop spreading it
New Yorkers
A llegiance to no other VICE except a NEW YORK CITY ATTITUDE
B oroughs Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten island, take your pick
C ity that never sleeps
D isown your chewing gum on the sidewalk
E mpire state of mind is what you develop when living in NYC
F REAKS and freedom come out at night
G et the gusto and GO!
H arlem is where you need to be when converging in NEW YORK CITY
I n New York City manners are not usually common placed
J ust watch the closing DOORS, you'll be OK
K nowing an URBAN LEGEND is a prerequisite to NYC living
L eft FOOT losers lurk around EVERY other corner
M ost New Yorkers are always rushing off to work at rush hour then rushing back home
N ightlife, NEON lights and honking horns
O nly alliances are with other NYC loving metropolitans
P olice are there to assist (unless you need assistance)
Q uietness is not an option
R ising repeatedly to early morning blaring fire engines and loud radio playing
S taten Island ferry or would you rather the Statue of Liberty?
T imes Square New year eve testimonial, NYC for real!!
U nder no circumstances are you to ever AGITATE (piss off) a NYC police officer
V ery energized New Yorkers (metropolitans) visiting Broadway
W hy does NYC have a subway system? For tourists of course!
X marks the spot, you are HERE.
Y ou a New Yorker?
Z estfully going along for the ride. TAXI!!
This hype is NYC stereotype. ONLY IN NEW YORK. NYC IS a great place to visit and maybe you'd wanna live there. You GETTIN' in that TAXI?! New York City Baabee!!
THAT'S real. YOU GOTTA PROBLEM?!
From Ebbett’s Field, they had to move away.
This team sought greener pastures in LA.
What they needed was a little change of scene.
The team moved into a park at Chavez Ravine.
Back in Brooklyn, the boys had a good home.
Their fans didn’t want the team to roam.
A reason to move was the advent of jet travel.
Coast to coast flights were made practical.
The appeal in Southern California didn’t seem to stick.
The boys in blue were getting a little homesick.
To their old Brooklyn fans, they felt regrets.
New Yorkers became less than satisfied with the Mets.
Here’s a little news that may astound:
The Los Angeles Dodgers are now Brooklyn-bound!
Modern sonnet
December 22, 2012
The sun is
shining red as it
descends from the heavens
Outside my window I
see its brilliant light
This city is
where the fate of
man is forged
This city is the hope
for humankind
The musical, theatrical, film
and poetic performances
Can leave one breathless
We have the NY Giants and Jets in football
The Mets and Yankees in baseball
The Knicks and Nets in basketball
In this city one
need never be bored
On the dark side
are desperate men
and women lying on the street and
combing the subways for food
We need to open our hearts
And New Yorkers do have hearts
The red sun is beginning
to set beneath the clouds
This magical city
comes alive at night
Its millions of inhabitants
form the backbone
Of this great - greater than ever
metoropolis
I am a new yorker
from afar
I grew up in new york
with t.v. stars
All the cop shows
and broadway affairs
Make us new yorkers
even though we're not there
We see the devastation
and offer our prayers
We want you to remember
No matter what God is there
You've always been rude
but now its time to be kind
An opportunity to love
before the end of time
My Home Sweet Home (Part One)
New York City...My city of reality...my city of those broken dreams...my city of the business schemes...new york city....my home sweet home...the only place my heart will roam...so i could never ever leave it alone...new york city...my city of broken homes...my city of broken coble stones...my home sweet home...
New York City...how damaged it seems to be...but more beautiful than people see...so deep with secrets and schemes....that broke peoples dreams...a heart skips a beat...people labled bums living in the street...the weak could never speak of...once rich with love...drunk in the morning...park bench at night to sleep off the drug...
mean mug with a gangster lean shoulder shrug...little eyes bare witness growing up to become a thug...nightmares is kiddy play...innocent people slaying...government playing with our money...delaying our dreams...as they think its funny...but we still love our new york city...no lie...we could move but why..?
Why let those broken coble stoned stoops kill our dreams....? Why let the business schemes take our money we couldve used to fix broken scenes....? We are New Yorkers....home of great talkers....but no action.....beautiful lights....but knocked before we reach our heights....deadly fights....
staged in a park in the dark....different colors are threats...race factor and hate crime...amongst crime itself...yet we are still the greatest city...as silly as it may sound...I will be buried under New York City ground....
New York City......my city of reality....some day we will all see...triumph of humanity....where else would I be....right here....my home sweet home...
I will never leave it alone...
By: Peter T DeSpirito
One feels so alive
at baseball games
You are a part
of something there
Something bigger
than yourself
As a Mets fan
I feel myself as
a piece in the urban puzzle
A member of the urban tribe
Joining in the
cheering for the
Metropolitans
helps the masses to release
their stress
which has been created
by urban life - even if last season the team
didn't fare well
last season
The loyal fans
stuck with them
till the end
Loyal fans such as myself
see the Mets
as the descendants
of the
New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers
a team all New Yorkers
can embrace wholly
A team you can yell yourself hoarse for
Through the cold winter
there are no green diamonds
to gaze upon
But we New Yorkers know
that the sound of "Play Ball" will
soon usher in
another 162 games
for the New York Metropolitans
Our hometown heroes
n
Tourists gathered ‘round a tree,
With cell phone cameras out,
Are not impressed by daffodils
Or tulips soon to sprout.
They’re focused on a squirrel
Which, to jaded local eyes,
Wouldn’t rate a second glance
But somehow seems to tantalize.
For in many other places,
Squirrels simply don’t exist;
With their bushy tails and antics,
How could visitors resist?
Back when I was just a child,
An acquaintance pulled one’s tail
And was bitten rather badly;
Now a scar he could unveil.
Squirrels also raid the feeders
And deprive the birds of seed.
They’ll outsmart all the deterrents
With their cleverness and greed.
So let tourists take their photos
Of these rodents oh, so cute.
To New Yorkers, their attraction
Is a subject of dispute.
Early morning, city street,
Glancing down around my feet,
There, as if upon a trail,
Sat a tiny little snail.
How he got there, I don’t know;
Snails and cities just don’t go.
Either he’ll survive or not;
I believe he has a shot,
Though New Yorkers, I’ll admit,
Don’t like creatures slow as _ _ it!
(a shorter version of a previous post
for Rhyme Battle Contest by Juli-Michelle)
Two National League teams departed New York City
when the Dodgers and Giants left the vicinity.
Both teams went to California out on the West Coast.
The Big Apple was without a National League host.
An expansion four years later brought another team.
Newspaper editor Joan Payson fulfilled a dream.
Again, New Yorkers could see a National League game.
A new team came to town, and the “Mets” was the team’s name.
With uniforms of Giants orange and Dodgers blue,
they took the Polo Grounds field in 1962.
Many New York baseball fans had shown their loyalty
despite the Mets’ new record for mediocrity.
Winning only forty games and finishing dead last,
the Mets were able to expunge the ghosts from the past.
Again having a team in each league was a reason
for joy and happiness in New York that first season.
They moved to Shea Stadium in 1964.
However, their losing ways continued a bit more.
The Mets’ performance each season did not look too fine.
They lost for seven straight years to 1969.
However, all the Mets fans would get a big surprise.
The team played quite well. The fans could not believe their eyes!
Just past mid-season, they were standing in second place.
The Mets won games, and were moving at a torrid pace.
They soon caught and passed the first-place team from Chicago.
The Mets stayed in first place with just a few weeks to go.
Their pitching staff had Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman,
they also had Gary Gentry and Nolan Ryan.
The Mets best hitters, Cleon Jones and Tommie Agee,
were joined by Ed Charles, Donn Clendenon, and Art Shamsky.
Together, they all formed a winning combination.
A pennant and World Series win brought more elation!
I was home from work that day.
My office was on John Street
One block away from the World Trade Center
I would often go there at lunchtime
To visit the shops
To buy fruit at the Green Market
To enjoy concerts on the esplanade
It was a gathering place
During the warm months of the year.
And one evening, I was fortunate enough
To dine in the Windows on the World Restaurant
That offered a spectacular view of the city
From the North Tower
But this day, I was awakened
By a familiar voice on the phone
Did you see the news?
A plane hit one of the Twin Towers
I turned on the television
And watched in real time
As it all unfolded
The mighty buildings
Collapsing
Into dust and debris
Flames and destruction
Falling bodies
Obliterated bones
And death
I watched
As exhausted firefighters
Sat down on the sidewalk and wept
I watched
As revelers in the streets of Afghanistan
Rejoiced at hearing the news
I watched
From my balcony in Brooklyn
Where I once could see the towers
But now there was an endless plume of smoke
That stretched across the sky
All those beautiful, precious lives
Gone
In the days that followed
We New Yorkers treated each other
More kindly, more gently
For we were all fragile
And felt capable of collapse
Written September 10, 2009 - for Nathan Leccese's 9-11 Contest