Wednesday, January 14, 2026

S.a. Gerber

Nonsense in Quatrains

 

When you’re beat—

On the street—

Take a seat—

Pound your meat.

 

Watch the girl—

Do a twirl—

Suggest a whirl—

Make her hurl.

 

Sing the song—

Hit the bong—

Won’t be long—

Prove them wrong.

 

Hear the noise—

Over-grown boys—

Jews and Goys—

Fight over toys.

 

Throw a ball—

Jump the wall—

Watch them fall—

That is all.

 



Nowhere to Wind

 

Rushing and running

racing and romping—

riding a jitney

bus of the mind.

Passing downtown

buildings, with the

time to appreciate.

 

Facades of Diego

Rivera against a

Jackson Pollack sky—

reflecting off a

surface of Monet.

 

The faces of

uptown are from

John Singer Sargent—

while downtown remains

a menagerie of

Delcroix faced whores.


Women who whirl

wildly to Offenbach…

teasing Toulouse Lautrec

 

Littered are Edward

Hopper loners in

diners, ignoring all.

 

Nowhere to stop…

unwind…wind…regroup.

 

Got to grab

the colors as

they appear, lest—

they be gone.


 

                                                                    

Whirlwind

(A decade or so ago)


Last minute decision—

(Left up to my wifey)

L.A. for Thanksgiving!

A whirlwind tour.

 

Budget tighter than

a vestal virgin.

No rental car—

Taking wifey’s—

Gas money only…

with few exceptions:

 

Pocket change for

coffee at Dutton’s,

(No books!) and twenty

for the poker game.

(If I get fat there,

maybe, Hollywood Park).

We will eat courtesy

of friends and relatives,

stay gratis at Mumsey’s,

and my wifey has

vowed not to make

a purchase on Black Friday.

No Jazz Bakery

with Tom & Crawford,

or even lunch

on the pier.

Maybe a midnight

bus ride to downtown—

Hang  among the fellow destitute.

Spend the night drinking

wine in the gutter,

and writing poetry

no one will hear.

No worries about being

hit up for change…

anyone there will have

more on them than I.

Ride the bus back

in the morning hours,

disappointed and sober,

even though I swear

I saw the ghost of

‘Chinaski’ among the ruins.

 

Renewed or not,

back on the

road come Saturday.

Back to the

reclusive mind state…

I call home.



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