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come, great city,
give us that old-time vaudeville

" During the water-movement
of the French horns
and the lovelace of a violin
a wire from my girl,
" I love you but I need a deposit."
Even the ventriloquist's dummy laughed
after we combed his pretty red hair
and set him on his tricycle. "

Do you know the story of Sal?
She was a lonely little gal
with the lovelight in her eyes
and Mr. H. H. at the ivories
and she was happy (honest to God)

In the season of Romain effects
and synthetic American lights
she drove into a California suburb
in a high-compression gull-line Suiza
rolling her Klieg eyes
like revolving doors

whereupon the jackass
full of animal gas
floated blissfully
into the dance
of the seven veils,
yakking, " I have that
funny feeling again,
it must be love."

Commentary: nothing
so marks the copulative man
as a corkscrew and a bottle opener.

Question:
Could you stand an old man
to a cup of coffee?
It's hard walking
with this silver plate
in my head.

Come, great city,
you have full powers
of attorney to protect your friends.