Vendor Poetry

Swimming Against the Current

JEN A.

Abandoned on a slippery raft

Tossed about by bon voyage waves

Instead of learning how to sink

He astutely learned to swim

His powerful stroke propelled him

Through the wondrous world of words

Until he came ashore for good

At the city by the bay

He took us to Coney Island

Where we wandered through his mind

He glorified the people’s verse

For a handful of magic beans

He found his truth in shadows

Cast by streetlights against the night

Now he’s painted a glorious sunset

From his beloved City Lights

Ferlinghetti est mort Vive Ferlinghetti

MARCH MADNESS

JEN A.

March Madness was cancelled last year

The fans all shed buckets of tears

Close contact was forbid

Because of the Covid

The future of hoop was unclear

This March they will take to the court

“What Covid?” they exclaim with a snort

The schools would be loony

To pass up the money

They get for broadcasting the sport

The athletes are pleased to perform

The round ball their lives can transform

But all they’ll get for their sweat

Is a thin strip of net And a chance to get out of the dorm

College athletes have long been beleaguered

To escape from their bondage they’re eager

The schools should be careful

They’re losing their bankroll

As the players choose to be g-leaguers