The Orchard

The orchard had a racket
With some autumn fruit to pick –
A pumpkin or some apples
But it wouldn’t be too quick…

For the parking lot on Saturday
Was filled with family groups
And to get to where the orchard was
You had to jump through hoops.

The lines were long for everything –
The picking trees and store
And bakery and port-a-potties;
Plus, just one thing more…

The temps were not quite fall-like.
It was sunny and so hot
That if you think it was fun
I must assure you it was not.

Still, the kids ran up and down a hill
And climbed the hay-bale pile,
Enough to make us almost feel
The trip was worth our while.

We left and cranked the car’s AC
To max and headed back,
But first – lunch at the diner,
Just to get us back on track.

A New Yorker's View of Times Square

Times Square is better than it was
But still in every crowd
The poor and homeless fill the streets;
It's dirty and it's loud.

I wonder what the tourists think
And if the mayor's blamed.
When I am there I look around 
And mainly feel ashamed.

Of course the lights of Broadway
Give the area some glitz 
But all the hype of glamour 
Somehow just no longer fits.

The shows are still quite fabulous
Despite the vibe of sleaze.
I guess all cities share this truth
To varying degrees.

A, My Name is Alice

Last night I couldn’t fall asleep
Despite my kind of counting sheep,
Reciting ditties in my head
While toss and turning in my bed.

One tune goes through the alphabet.
If you’re from Brooklyn, I would bet
You know it too – you might recall
You’d chant it to a bouncing ball.

It starts off “A, my name is blank”
And in that space your mind would crank
A female name that starts with A
And in the next line, you would say:

“And my husband’s name is Al”
(Or Andrew, Austin or his pal).
“We come from Alabama” or
Another A place – there are more.

The final line is what we sell
Like “apples” – does this ring a bell?
Then you repeat with B and C
And all the letters up to Z.

I wish this worked, but it did not.
I gave it everything I’ve got
But knowing all that was at stake,
I finished, but was still awake!

Outside In

Outside the confines of our homes
The world just barrels by.
Events from news reports
Are far away and don’t apply.

We watch them from our bubbles,
Witness sorrow and despair.
The sadness fills the screen
But we are here and that is there.

Unless, of course, we’re visiting
Or living in the place
Where destruction, death and anguish
Have descended, face to face.

Only then are we reminded
That, though victims may be reeling,
Not a soul who isn’t in it
Can imagine what they’re feeling.

Tom Petty

When people we admire die,
Of course we mourn and wonder why
Someone so special had to leave;
We cannot know and so we grieve.

The music world and those who rock
Come yesterday received a shock.
Tom Petty'd had a heart attack
And no, he won’t be coming back.

To all his fans, and I am one,
The sinking in has not begun.
To face the passing of Tom Petty
Can’t be done – I’m just not ready.

Illusion

Safety's an illusion
For there's no place that's secure.
The tourists in Las Vegas
Weren't worried, I am sure.

But waiting for disaster,
Paranoia stakes its claim
And terrorists are not the only
Crazies we can blame.

Still, life is there for us to live
With all the good that's in it,
Although it could be over
In an unexpected minute.

October

If every month’s a color
Then October has to be
The same orange as a pumpkin
And I think we’d all agree.

For as fall, in its ascendance,
Turns the leaves and ripens gourds,
Golds and oranges and ochres
Are the notes of autumn’s chords.

So I welcome Ms. October
Gussied up in tangerine,
Bringing just enough of chilly days
To supersede the green.