Poetry Pleases: The Big A
In sixteen bold, brassy lines of poetry Ellen Warner paints a complex word portrait of New York City.
Hey, Big Apple, let me take a bite.
Let me taste Central park, Brooklyn Bridge at night,
Manhattan on a Monday, the frenzy and the pace,
Office girls in sneakers, hookers dressed in lace,
The hustler and the hustled, all caught up in the scrum,
A taxi driver yelling, “Are ya tired of life, ya bum?”
At a weary out-of-towner who could only stand and stare
As he tried to cross the street when the sign said,
‘Don’t You Dare’,
The dealer and the dancer and the hard-nosed city cop
Waiting for that break when they make it to the top.
And the river just keeps moving; it’s seen it all before.
It whispers, “Come to me when you can’t take any more.”
And the lights are bright on Broadway though another day is spent
In this crazy, crazy city where your dreams aren’t worth a cent.
