Jeremy Lin

Chinese people everywhere
Are cheering for the Knicks.
They’re rooting for their favorite fan,
Who’s managed to transfix.

Of course, they want their team to score
But whether lose or win,
They’ll get the thrills they need
By chanting for their own J. Lin.

For Jeremy, a Harvard man,
Is living, breathing proof
A brainy Asian athlete
Isn’t anything to spoof.

I get the Chinese mindset
And I understand their pride;
Since folks like them in sports are few,
Their joy is justified.

It feels familiar, ‘cause I knew
That feeling, oh so rich,
When years ago, I got to see
A fellow landsman pitch.

His name was Sandy Koufax,
His religion one I share;
And every Jewish baseball fan
Of that was well aware.

When you’re in the minority,
It really feels so good
To celebrate a star who comes
From your part of the ‘hood.

Newt's Pursuit

You don’t have to be astute
To know the Red team won’t choose Newt.
There are reasons several-fold –
First of all, he just seems old.

Though he may be very smart,
He’s dumb in matters of the heart.
Cheated on a loyal wife –
“Open marriage?” – Get a life!

Now he stands to make a speech
With number 3 wife, like a leech,
Always just an inch away,
With her hair held down by spray.

Newt, I hate to tell you, mistah,
Next first mate won’t be Callista!

At This Moment

At this moment in time
There are moms giving birth,
While gravediggers shovel
A plot in the earth.

At this moment a plane
Is preparing to soar,
While a soldier’s blown up
In a far-away war.

At this moment some people
Confess all their sins,
While the gamblers assess
All their losses and wins.

There are folks who are sleeping
Or cooking or reading;
Shoplifters stealing
And knife victims bleeding.

Actors rehearsing and
Bar patrons drinking.
Cars crashing crazily;
Novelists thinking.

Knitters are knitting
And lovers embracing;
Criminals learn of
The sentence they’re facing.

Capture one moment
And measure the arc.
Everything happens –
The light and the dark.

Here in this moment
Some journey from home,
While I sit and ponder
And jot down this poem.

Pez

No matter what an expert says
About what folks should savor,
I really hate the taste of Pez –
That goes for every flavor.

The small contraption where it goes
Is cute, unique and fun;
But everybody surely knows
You’re glad when each row’s done.

It tastes like baby aspirin did
When melted in a spoon.
I had that as a fevered child
And won’t repeat it soon.

There are some people who collect
Those Pez dispenser toys.
Nostalgia is what I expect
Contributes to their joys.

For recently I had a taste
Of modern Pez, in cherry.
I chewed and swallowed in such haste
It was extraordinary.

The flavor hadn’t changed a whit;
The texture was like chalk.
If offered some, I’d stall a bit
Then beat it, like a hawk.

Some candy treats are meant to be
A childhood paragon.
Today, I’d take Godiva,
‘Cause that Pez-press urge is gone.

A Vase of Purple Tulips

A vase of purple tulips
Gives your outlook quite a boost.
It chases off the gloomy thoughts
That seek a place to roost.

You needn’t pay an arm or leg
To purchase such a bunch;
But purple is the way to go –
It packs a potent punch.

I’m feeling kind of off this week
And sick is not my style;
But looking at those purple tulips
Causes me to smile.

Payment Expected

There’s a sign right on the wall,
In case you’re feeling nervous,
That payment is expected at
The time you’re getting service.

You’re possibly distracted
‘Cause they’re x-raying your head.
They want your money right up front
In case you end up dead.

The sign is a reminder
Lest you maybe will forget.
This test is just a gamble
And they’re counting on your bet.

So whether you’re a winner
Or, unluckily, you lose,
The house accumulates the chips
And you cannot refuse.

And so you cough the payment up
By cash or card or check,
And sit around and wait
As they are shuffling the deck.

You’ve anted up, you’re in the game;
You’re in the dealer’s pull.
No matter if you win or lose,
You’ve paid your debt in full.

Vertigo

Vertigo, vertigo, vertigo – whoa!
Walking in circles is no way to go.
Everything’s turning and moving and spinning;
Nothing is ending, only beginning.

Vertigo, vertigo, vertigo – stop!
Each tiny step feels like I'm gonna drop.
Can’t get a fix on an object ahead;
Nothing’s in focus – they’re drifting instead.

Vertigo, vertigo, vertigo – halt!
I just can’t handle this type of assault.
Crossing the room I’m at lurch like a drunk;
Confined to the house I’ve sunk into a funk.

Vertigo, vertigo, vertigo – why?
Help me get better and I will comply.
I swallow the meds but they don’t really work;
Frustration is mounting – I’m going berserk.

Vertigo, vertigo, vertigo – leave!
You’ve done what you must have set out to achieve.
I’m dizzy and staggering, helpless and trapped;
The only relief came the hours I napped.

Vertigo, vertigo, vertigo – please!
Here I’m beseeching on two shaky knees.
You’ve had your fun with your prankish attack;
Now begone, disappear, vanish – and don’t come back!