a slice of life of the Upper West Side of Manhattan

Slice of Life
©11/01 poetry and illustration srk all rights reserved

The Original Ray’s Famous Pizza

now $1.75 a slice,

on the Upper West Side.

At the next booth,

a heavy-set woman with blonde-streaked hair,

baby stroller parked at the table’s edge,

sits across from her companion,

a dead man-mummy.

As the woman eats her pizza,

The wizened old face sleeps,

Nestled, gray, into the collar of a down coat.

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The woman eats her pizza.

The dead man sleeps,

then opens its eyes briefly,

and returns to the dead.

        Good bye Norma Jean…

Seems to me you lived your life

        Like a candle in the wind…

The woman eats, the dead returns.

They speak Polish? Russian?

The down coat collar is moved aside

and a gold earring is revealed.

They are now two women,

and a baby in a stroller

having an early pizza dinner

on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Elton John & Billy Joel/ Candle in the Wind

reply mitchylr wrote on Nov 20, ’07 I’ve never been to NYC, but the imagery was such that I could almost picture the setting.

reply aladybug wrote on Nov 20, ’07 I love it… I love your poems, plus one great thing about this one is that it speaks of the local taste.  I was thinking about Woody Allen just now… I think the local element, the special NY flavour of his movies, aside from his HUGE talent, is one thing I love about his work.    Keep on writing and HUGS for Thanksgiving!   You have enriched so much 360 and here too!   🙂

reply gilesy01 wrote on Nov 21, ’07 That dead man thing has put me right off pizza for life.

reply redheadgirl4 wrote on Nov 26, ’07 I have to agree, this is such a vivid image! I felt as if I was sitting there, watching them eat their pizza, and loving the ambiance of a great NY eatery. I love this!!!!

reply agnes128 wrote on Jan 23, ’10 I don’t know for you, but for me it is like having a painting by Edward Hopper, alive, in front of my eyes.