Jimmy the Greek (Unpub)

My claim…? Names of Jameses,
through historyspeak,
in due time wind up rhymin'
with ‘Jimmy the Greek.’
 
Who is James, King of Scotland,
but Jimmy Antique…?
Who is Jimmy Durante
but Jimmy the Beak…?
 
Isn’t James Joyce the novelist
Jimmy Oblique…?
Ain’t the Good Book’s James Lesser
just Jimmy the Meek…?
 
Isn’t Bond…James Bond…aka
Jimmy the Chic…?
(As for Susan Saint James,
ain’t she Jim So-to-Speak…?)
 
Who are Jones, Beam and Watt…?
Aren’t they Jimmy the Clique…?
Who’s the Godfather (James Brown)
but Jimmy the Shrie-e-e-eek…?
 
Isn’t James Beard the chef
Jimmy Bubble and Squeak…?
(When he’s sautéing onions,
he’s Jimmy the Leek.)
 
Isn’t James Earl Ray actu’lly
Jimmy the Bleak…?
Shouldn’t teamster head Hoffa
be Jim Up-the-Creek…?
 
Isn’t James the Fat (Mor Stewart)
Jim Chubby Cheek…?
Harvard’s James D. G. Wood…?
Who but Jimmy Critique…?
 
Jimmy Carl Black…? None but
Jimmy the Freak.
And James MacNeill Whistler’s
just Jimmy Technique!
 
John Lennon’s real name…?
Jimmy Eight-Days-a-Week.
(And somewhere there I stand:
Jim takin’ a leak.)
 
In Melbourne, ’07, there’s
Jimmy the Streak.
Isn’t fashion’s James Galanos
Jimmy Boutique,,,?
 
(Jamie Harris the glass artist’s
Jimmy Lalique,
and each blackbird you see
might be Jimmy Cacique.
 
Note: “Jimmy Marlu’s
not Jim Martinique,
but I think Lizha James
might be Jim Mozambique.”
 
Jesse James assumes names:
ain’t one Jimmy the Sneak…?
And the West’s Edwin James:
ain’t he Jimmy Pike’s Peak…?
 
Flautist James Galway passes
as Jimmy the Squeak.
Author P. D. James has to be
Jim Hide-and-Seek.
 
(Or perhaps P.D.’s actu’lly
Jimmy Mystique.
Jimmy Shergill of Bollywood’s
Jimmy the Sikh.)
 
Isn’t James Earl Jones
famous as Jim Vaderspeak…?
Surely Javans are fond of their
Jimmys Batik!
 
And there’s, somewhere, an
Arab called Jimmy the Sheik.
(None are easy to find.
Still, to find you must seek.)
 
Isn’t Baldwin, occasion’lly,
Jim Fit-of-Pique…?
James Kisiki of films:
Jimmy Diabolique…?
 
Dennis James, bodybuilder:
not Jimmy Physique…?
(Ain’t Ezekiel aka
Jimmy the Zeke…?)
 
Where’s the card-playing James
known as Jimmy Bezique…?
One more James whose noir name
rhymes with ’Jimmy the Greek.’

Richard’s Scary (Unpub)

     Our 

town's quite small. No urban sprawl.

(We still love all our trees.)

     No 

franchise wars. No big-box stores.

No oil refineries.

     Just 

look aroun.' No fact'ry town.

No smog. Just balmy breeze.

     Our 

town does welcome immigrants

who flee from jeopardy.

     Ex-

otic stores...? They've open'd scores

(which open doors for me).

     They 

fit in fine. We all combine

as one -- small -- family.

     "But 

how," you ask, "might each one's task

impact their work, their play...?

     Does 

where they spend their days depend

on what their name is...? Hey,

     might 

each one's name be most to blame

for where each spends the day...?"

     Archie's at the arch’ry range.

(His aim remains sub par.)

     Barbra's at the barber shop --

where all her brothers are.

     Ba-

kari's at the bakery.

(Let's go: it's not too far.)

     Ca-

milo's at the camera store.

(He’d love an SLR.)

     De-

lilah's at the deli.
(Esmerelda's there as well.)

     Flo-

rissa's at the florist.
(Florie loves “that bloomin’ smell.”)

 
     Grover's at the grocery store,

though Homer’s still at home.
Isaac’s at the ice cream parlor.
(Ike thinks, “When in Rome…”)
 
Jim’s at the gymnasium.
Kenneth's at the kennel.

     Lu-

mumba's at the lumber yard:
he finds fir "fundamennel.”
 
Mark is at the market.

Nicolai's pursued her there.
     O-

celpha's at the oculist:
“I'd like that horn-rimm'd pair.”
 

(a work in progress) 

Pete is at the pizza parlor.

Quenton...? He's there, too.
Reece, at the recycling center,
wonders: “Where are you…?”
 
Sugar's at the shoe store.
Travis...? At the track,
where he’s trying --unsuccessfully --
to win that C-note back.

Una's at the union hall.
Victor’s join’d her there.

Wally's at the Walmart 
(though he could be anywhere).
 
Xavier’s with Yoda
at the latter’s yoga class.
Zoë’s hangin’ at the zoo.
They all left home en masse.

Our town's quite small.