put your hair
up pretty and
meet me tonite
in Atlantic City
    Springsteen

THE RESORTS BY THE SEA

Exit 37 of the Garden State Parkway pushes
its buses and cars onto a barren island
surrounded by water and marshland.
Tonight, 1997, coming in, see shop windows
boarded up with plywood, here no one asks why?
In front of the Atlantic City Expressway lies
the towers of Bally, Resorts, Showboat, Trump's
which rise out of the black sand.
Inside the towers, couples, friends, and
lovers pour hard earned currency into
slot machines, the wheel, poker, and
blackjack tables in
their working class shirts and
Bradlee's dresses looking for
the Big Pay off someway, someday.
Hopelessly, hoping for hope in
a city still looking for her miracle.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

NOTHING
 

On the television

shows are about nothing like

Seinfeld and Friends in

particular.  They are

nothing compared to death,

crying or  getting a job in

real life.  I love those

shows but they don't feed me.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

"I WRITE THE SONGS THAT MAKE THE YOUNG GIRLS CRY"
 

Every morning, I drive Route 18 highway,
singing all those Grateful Dead songs
to myself, driving 65 MPH everyday.

I try to "put things right" all wrongs
as I drive to work singing everyday
by re-writing Barry Manilow songs.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

PATTY DUKE CHANGED MY LIFE
 

In the early 1960s on

my parent's black and

white Magnavox console
 

waiting for

the Patty Duke Show to

appear, I fell in
 

love with Patty's character.

A child star herself,

got crazy playing
 

kissing cousins from

Brooklyn and England.

Patty and Cathy seemed to
 

do everything just right.

There were only 7 channels of

television in those days.
 

I just couldn't wait to

see the show on Wednesday

evening back then.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

FLAG
 

I fly no flag
above yours
except for
the spirit flag

In the wind
it flys
with thee
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

THE YACHTS' REGALIA
   for Kathleen
 

Things change here,
every season except

the yachts float out
with the Sun having fun

with the clear blue waves.
And the children laugh

as their parents listen
to the Yankee game

on WABC radio
on a sandy beach

as cigar smoke competes
with potato chip odors

filling the crisp air.
As grandmothers' plan

for supper
for their relatives

on beach towels
here, everyone's

on holiday
of some sort.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CUBS WIN
for Harry Carey
 

As the ivy
grows slowly
out at

Wrigley Field
so does
the cry:

"Cubs win!"
"Cubs win!"
"Cubs win!"
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Nasty Boys
 

Obnoxious
players
who
hit
for
a
living
Ty
Cobb
and
Pete
Rose
in
the
Hall
of
Shame.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

YOGI BERRA
 

Hey Yogi,
just want to
say hello!

I don't want
an autograph or
photograph.

All I want
to say is
thanks for

those wonderful
memories of
you as catcher.

And me, at
9 years old in
front of

the Rizzuto-Berra
Bowling alley
drinking Yoo-Hoo

with my young
friends who
walked along

the railroad tracks
to see your mitt
encased in glass.