(Spanish people find September to be very sad:
they call it "the little summer of the quince".)
Somehow, the silver birches simply know.
This splendid heaven, pure refulgent blue
can not abide. The grass fronds, stiff as glue,
like swifts and grillos, uninclined to go,
are troubled by the carking of the crow.
It’s autumn, and the rains are overdue.
A corpse whose hair improvidently grew,
September is deceptive afterglow.
At dusk, a silence falls across the close:
the trees stand tall and motionless, morose:
now unobtrusive, heretofore verbose:
tart evergreens like laurel, tamarind,
immortal olives, silver in the wind,
sing “adios verano, adios!”
Sat
down
to the battle last night
pieces lined up on
the board
White vs. Black
First game -
I
tried
an
unusual opening
and triumphed
In the next battle I
went
down
to
defeat
The game can be maddening
so many different choices
like life
I have heard playing it can prevent Alzheimers
Hope the hell it does!
Russians love the game
as do some blacks, Spanish people and yes
Israelis
Perhaps I will look at a chess book tonight
So next time I can trounce my opponent
and feel the rush that victory brings
Looking forward to the holiday of a lifetime,
Destination never before ever undertaken,
A very scary journey for me, I can only imagine being,
As a first time traveler across the world,
From my cold homeland of England,
To flying high, into the brilliant bright blue sky,
Looking out as the fluffy clouds float by,
Bound for sun, sea and glorious sand,
Majorca Island here I come, that’s my plan,
Suitcase is packed, passport at the ready,
At my age, my world never expected,
My whole life through, a dream to come true,
What will I do? My desire! First thing, I’ll do,
Take a very large drink then taste in the view,
Enjoying and fun, or taking the plunge,
Swimming or diving, a boat ride to islands,
Or just sunbathing not burning,
But thinking more drinking, some more eating,
And a lot of entertaining,
Having a wonderful time,
Or just standing a while,
Experiencing the different lifestyle and culture,
Of the Spanish people.
Then very sadly flying back.
Reminiscing for the rest of my life,
And saying “I did that” Wish I was there once again.
So watch out for me! Because here I come.
The sound of an ambulance
in the distance
Some poor soul is
in trouble
A warm day has led
to a moderate August
evening
I feel the tomorrow
sill be a good day
A friend invited me to
listen to a poetry CD tonight
I shall join him shortly
Poetry can cut like
a knife into the soul
If you are willing to let it
The city has is own
has its own type of poetry
Pictures of our
urban life
Let us see the human face
behind the crowds and the tumult
This city is exciting and dangerous
Here on the Lower East Side
we await fall
This area has been the home of
the famous and the obscure
Spanish people play dominoes
while Talmud scholars pour over
holy works in the House of sages
Bicyclists ride by
as runners race by the East River
Losaida - The Lower East Side
Visit us here soon!
Take a walking tour
So you can see the history
of this essential New York neighborhood
I live on the fabled
Lower East Side
Spanish people hanging out
and playing dominoes for money
Children playing ball
in the schoolyard
An Orthodox man
complete with black hat
ambles past the House of Sages
A young Chinese couple
passes by
They look like they are in love
From my apartment I see
light from other apartments
where the people in those apartments
are living the Lower East Side lifestyle
As I ride on the bus
I note people crossing themselves
when they pass the Roman Catholic church
I hear music coming from car stereos
In the park squirrels scurry up trees
A small sparrow
stops momentarily
to eat a piece of food
then flies off into
one of the trees
which is growing in the park
in this most urban of neighborhoods
The LES is still there
Spanish people playing dominoes
Orthodox and Hasidic people
Walking around
The years have changed the place
There is a nice mural with drawings of the past
Jewish life there
The years have changed the place
Chinese people walking through
A Roman Catholic church or two
Guess I'll remain a Jew
But I do not keep kosher
so some call l me a goy
Yet Sabbath services sometimes fill me with joy
Winds over the LES
Pushcart Coffee
serves tasty brew
I'll listen to whatever music I want to
Your taste may be better than mine
I'll forgive you if you choose wine over the brine
LES is now my home
Some gave me a tome
Eros and the Jews
I'll read it soon......
TV on - outside cars rushing by
quckly on the
FDR drive
Another evening on the Lower East Side
The place radiates nostalgia
My grandparents now in eternity
came here for a better life
I see the murals, the House of Sages
the Foward building
I read the Hebrew letters
which say House of Study
Kids playing in schoolyards
Hasidim with furry hats
People walking dogs
Spanish people playing dominoes
The mailman comes by
hopefully bringing
more published poetry
Day morphs into night
Switch on T.V., meditation CD
A heavy sense of peace
descends on me
here in thsi most urban of neighborhoods
Fabled LES
Past the House of Sages
Past the Arab owned
bodega
past the Spanish people playing dominoes
Towards my home
on the Lower East Side
We on the Lower East Side
are spending our lives
in the asphalt homelaqnd
while we make love
to the urban landscape