The Old Pogue
The Old Pogue said, ‘Class with just a touch of
‘Wicked sleaze, or more than a touch, right, boys?
‘Admit it. Class plus wicked sleaze is what we want
‘In women. Oh, I wish I was born in ancient Egypt
‘When the gals painted their cheeks a shade of
‘Yellowish red and wore a green eye shadow
‘Made from malachite, a copper derivative, and
‘Kohl, a charcoal-like eyeliner favored by women
'Of the aristocracy. During the 18th Dynasty
‘Queen Hatshepsut herself ground frankincense
‘Into her eyeliner and in the Minoan civilization
‘Around 2000 BC in the Aegean Islands servant girls
‘Wore short jumpers hanging loose from the shoulders
‘To the knees with no belt that yelled out to fuck me.’
I Got Nowhere
In the whole world only one restaurant
Was patronized by both Leon Trotsky
And Bela Bartok. That would be the
Old 57th Street Automat in Manhattan.
Go into any restaurant today and ask
Whether Leon Trotsky ever ate there.
You'll get nowhere. Same with Bartok.
You'll get nowhere. They'll shoot you
A look of stupifaction. Apropos of which,
Years ago I took the subway down to a
Greek-run coffee shop on 86th Street
Where I'd heard Isaac Singer used to
Order a boiled potato. I got nowhere.
I asked if Bartok ate there. Who? What?
Charlie Livingston: A Novel
He went into the jewelry business.
He left the jewelry business and
Went into the rug business. He left
The rug business and went into
The landscaping business. He left
The landscaping business and went
Into the ladies' ready-to-wear
Business. He left the ladies' ready-to-
Wear business and went into the
Plumbing business. He left the plumbing
Business and went into the pet grooming
Business. He left the pet grooming business
And went into the car detailing business.
He left the car detailing business and went
Into the shoe business. He left the shoe
Business and went into the children's
Furniture business. He left the children's
Furniture business and went into the hair
Replacement business. He left the hair
Replacement business and went into the
Leather goods business. He left the leather
Goods business and went into the heating
And air conditioning business. He left the
Heating and air conditioning business and
Went into the printing business. He left the
Printing business and went into the exterminating
Business. He left the exterminating business
And went into the meat packing business.
He left the meat packing business and went
Into the organic vegetable business. He left
The organic vegetable business and went
Into the funeral home business. He left the
Funeral home business and went into
The bicycle shop business. He left the
The bicycle shop business and went into
The reinsurance business. He left the
Reinsurance business and went into the
Cow-and-calf business. He left the cow-and-
Calf business and went into the yarn business.
He left the yarn business and went into the
Deep sea fishing business. He left the deep
Sea fishing business and went into the beer
Distributorship business. He left the beer
Distributorship business and went into the
Made-to-order men's shirt business. He
Left the made-to-order men's shirt business
And went into the tropical fish business.
He left the tropical fish business and went
Into the cell phone repair business. He left
The cell phone repair and went into the
Waste removal business. He left the waste
Removal business and went into the private
Investigator business. He left the private
Investigator business and went into the picture
Framing business. He left the picture framing
Business and went into the jewelry business.
