noisy luncheonette
1950’s fast food
men in suits and ties
women in cotton dresses
wearing high heeled shoes
none unchaperoned
counter closed on Sundays
family day
everyone in church
It all started with a bet
Inside a launderette
Over a cigarette
With a brunette
I hadn’t yet met
Her name was Marie-Antoinette
As she said it she did a pirouette
And wow what a silhouette
Coquette she wore an amulet
Feared nothing short of a bayonet
Forgot the laundry it was still wet
I got hungry and craved an omelet
Asked M-A to join me in my Corvette
Drove to the closest luncheonette
Ordered baguette and anisette
We talked right until the sun set
She showed me a statuette
She dreamt of a trip to Tibet
So we jumped on a jumbo jet
Me her and the rest of the jetset
Across the aisle was the oddest duet
He played the clarinet she the castanet
While Marie-Antoinette rhymed the alphabet
Dancing and waving with a serviette
Try and imagine this strange vignette
Marie-Antoinette Marie-Antoinette
Forever in her debt
Not so easy to forget
I only have one regret
I left Marie-Antoinette back in Tibet
AP: Honorable Mention 2020
From my penthouse here in Manhattan
I observe crowds of bodies all in fast forward mode
Through slightly dampened windows I watch fascinated
As locals and visitors cramp into one “Big Apple”
More people in Manhattan than my four neighboring boroughs
I am just an unknown local or tourist to most
Later I sit among strangers and friends on black plastic chairs
Near the porcelain figurine of Elvis, the King
Enjoying my Southern Country breakfast with a NY bagel for an extra dollar
In EJ’s Luncheonette, below my building, on the Upper East side
Different races, skins and religions harmonious
A multicultural city that never sleeps
Times Square magnificently lit at night
Bright lights all colors of the rainbow flicker
Broadway theatres and shows all famous in their own right
Central Park or Central “Perk” put us forever on the map, all thanks to six Friends
The rivers Hudson and Harlem bind us all together
As we chant to each other “Have a nice day”
If you ever visit you will have no reason to be
Bored in Manhattan
He was born in Yonkers, just north of New York City.
This man grew up to be funny and witty.
While working in a luncheonette owned by his family,
with the art of patois, Sid displayed proficiency.
As a funny comedian, he made his presence felt.
Sid got his start in upstate New York in the Borscht Belt.
As a saxophonist, his first job was at the Vacationland.
He became an influential member of the hotel’s band.
With the late Imogene Coca, he was a television pioneer.
On Broadway and in movies, Sid would also appear.
However, alcohol and barbiturates nearly destroyed his career.
A recovery brought him back into entertainment’s sphere.
Over the years, many awards and recognitions came his way.
At the age of ninety-one, Sid Caesar passed away.
RIP Sid Caesar
(1922-2014)
I thank both wikipedia.org online encyclopedia and variety.com for information
I obtained to write this poem.
A treat that should be most exalted
Is a real vanilla malted.
Made with ice cream, milk and malt,
It’s oft forgotten, by default.
It must be mixed by a machine
Endemic to the diner scene
And served inside its silver mixer
Meant for holding this elixir.
Pour it in a Coke-shaped glass.
Use a straw (now, don’t be crass!)
Take a sip and be transported
To your childhood days, distorted…
For when seen through such a taste,
Negatives all get erased;
And once you start to reminisce,
You’ll just remember days of bliss.
Today I passed a luncheonette;
It’s been there eighty years, I’ll bet.
I thought of malteds, got the urge –
For $7.50 (!), I could splurge.
Happily, I did indulge
And that is why I here divulge
It’s worth those calories amassed
For that connection to the past!
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.