My New York City Sinful Depravity

 
fresh-faced boy from the sticks
found myself in
New . . . York . . . City
first time,
boy, oh boy
and do-wah-ditty
craning my neck
getting a crick
damn them buildings are TALL
don't you know
1960-61-?
Manhattan
Times Square
Forty-Second Street
Broadway
Stars!  real stars walking right by me
stars all over the place
The Great White Way
at my fingertips
look, ma!  I'm hobnobbing
ain't it great
New . . . York . . . City
my oyster
I am its pearl
all those people
going and coming and running and dashing and . . .
uh
not paying me no mind
ain't getting no attention
no satisfaction as the song says
hunger drove them thar stars outta my eyes
reality jumped up
gnawed at my ass
understood the meaning
of no-man-is-an-island
concept
nine million people
nine million and one people
the one is me
alone
what the hell
tried to make friends
nobody
had time for a young white Arkansas hick
accent thick as cane molasses
still
New . . . York . . . City
if you can make it here . . .
wasn't trying to make it big
though
just wanted a room
something to eat
scrounging twenty-five cent pizza-by-the-slice
Nathan's dogs
potato knishes
Orange Julius
automats, lingering over coffee
watching people and cock roaches
women
oh
hell yeah, now that's more like it
molasses-thick accent
charmed them thar working girls
damn straight
looka-here
moving on up, hookers-on-parade
whores passed me around
like a secret told
had the knack
compared notes
well!
they did!
to this day
and tomorrow
I thank the working girls of
New . . . York . . . City
for my
fantastic
sexual tutoring
you bet