POLAR BEAR

POLAR BEAR

The cute polar bear

Standing on the lawn

With a scarf around its neck

Holding a present

Of course is not real

One day however

It might be a sad reminder

Of the great creature

Who once roamed the arctic

Before receiving

The cruel gift

Of extinction
 

THE SEAGULL

THE SEAGULL

Does the seagull on top

Of the lamppost

In Kissena Park

Look at the humans

Walking by

And wonder:

Why are they missing the great view?
 

MID-DECEMBER MORNING

MID-DECEMBER MORNING

On Meadow Lake

Mid-December morning

Almost sixty degrees

Seagulls and ducks lounge around

As cars pass by

Along the various highways

Where are they going?

The seagulls and ducks don't care

They are enjoying the sun and the water

Some just know how to live!

 

MANDARINS

 

MANDARINS

Astoria

In a fruit store

On 30th Street

The sign promises

Sweet California Mandarins

And as proof:

TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT

How can one refuse?

So I tried a mandarin

Which was indeed sweet

Afterwards I bought a few pounds

That's what I would call 

Effective advertisement

 

NIGHT SKY IN FOREST HILLS

 

NIGHT SKY IN FOREST HILLS

I was looking to take a picture of the moon

But the moon was hiding or camera shy

So I had to settle for a picture of the 

Night sky with a distant star

Walking home after buying bananas 

Walnuts 

Blackberries 

Shaving cream and a charging cable

I had watched the sanitation man 

Throw a clear plastic bag 

Filled with cardboard

Into the street 

Which later he picked up

Chucking it inside the garbage truck

With cars honking 

And the massive apartment buildings

Looming over me 

I thought what a mess 

We've made of our world

But then suddenly I realized

Who cares?

The planet  certainly doesn't

Time just keeps moving forward

Six hundred and thirty million

Four hundred and fifty six thousand

And ninety three days from now

This same spot I am standing in

Will still be here

And there's nothing that can change that

Even with our bombs we can't really 

Blow everything up

We can only destroy ourselves

Earth in a way was 

Letting me know

Thank you for worrying

But I got this

A PURE AESTHETIC

 

A PURE AESTHETIC

82nd Avenue

In Kew Gardens

Passes over the Long Island Railroad tracks

It is not a particularly busy road

Either with cars or people

John Chadwell took his time

To create "EASTBOUND-WESTBOUND"

On the side walls of the pedestrian bridge

Not because he was trying to become famous

Or rich

Getting in your face 

With a big statement 

Or deep meaning

Simply a working artist

Contributing his palette of colors

For those who might enjoy it

And for those who walk by

Without bothering to look

No harm 

No foul

PFC LAURENCE STRACK MEMORIAL POND

PFC LAURENCE STRACK MEMORIAL POND

Walking along Woodhaven Boulevard

I saw a sign for Strack Pond

My first instinct was just to keep going

As I was getting hungry

But I decided to stop and see

Actually the trail was only a few steps away

And right as I entered into the woodlands

The world suddenly changed

The busy street disappeared

I was in another place

Tranquil

With a completely different rhythm

Strack pond is named after a young soldier

Laurence Strack  from Woodhaven 

Who was killed in Vietnam in 1967

To honor him they built two ballfields

Where the pond now stands

Later it was brought back to its natural state

So that today you can spend 

A few relaxing minutes

Away from the hustle and bustle nearby

Who knew?