Me I Love the City

Me I Love the City by SG Young

Hey lemme tell ya there’s this one crazy dude lives in my building and

I dunno what’s wrong with him he sits outside on his veranda and

he’s got nothin I’m leaning out over my banister we got this banister right?

The guy’s got nothin I dunno what he does out there because

one slip and he’s a goner and he takes his dog out there too

gotta be something wrong with the dude.

So this one night it’s one of those nights, right? one of those perfect nights

but me’n her we had another argument I go outside get some air and

there’s the dude meditating or something not even petting his dog.

Only met him once down in the lobby gets all these boxes

all kinds of dog food and crap he gets a couple boxes every day

what’s he do with all this dog food right?

I look out the moon’s out it’s one of those perfect nights

with everything glitter and shadow it’s got that city noise but far enough off so more like a buzz

not much breeze just one of those perfect nights.

What’s amatter with people why can’t they get the message I’m thinkin

this dude’s the one feedin the pigeons we got these pigeons hanging out all the time somebody’s gotta be feedin the pigeons they’re always droppin crap.

Finally I say to the guy I say Hey dude you’re not feedin the pigeons are ya

cuz I’m gettin more pigeon crap up here we’re always wipin the banister

He looks up says Man what’s a banister?

What’s a banister what the hell’s he talking about what’s a banister my wife says

Who’re you talking to out there I tell her there’s a guy feeds the pigeons.

Then she says to me get this

You gotta, learn, to love, the city.

Me I love the city,

just the people I can’t stand.

(For Long Island City a painting by Tony Reinemann at the Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda.)