Mother of exiles, outcasts, cast aside,
An island, with all that implies, people
Moving about, splendid, selfish,
Rumble, rattle, rasp, and hiss,
Skinny sunlight, violent violins,
Demise, too much/not enough coffee,
Money that isn’t mine, rotting
Fish, silver, brass, and chrome,
Pennies on the sidewalk, sirens
Gongs, firetrucks, roaches, flies,
The gift of someone to talk to.
James Baldwin, Lenny Bruce;
Lou Gehrig, George Gershwin;
Groucho Marx, Herman Melville;
Mae West, Edith Wharton, Lady Gaga;
Whitman, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
A bar, a bank, an imported car
On every block, a plethora of devout oddballs.