Rita's Special Day

On this day I think of Mom - Rita T - My Mother Dear.
My biological Mom - without whom, I would not be here!

When all is said and done - she's the one who did me right!
Always there to care for me - Morning, Noon and Night.

It wasn't always easy, since I was one of four.
But one way or another we never were ignored.

Love that's true, and unconditional - is what it's all about.
When it came to My Mother's love - there never was a doubt.

My dad although he meant well, seldom could provide.
So Mother always had to work - if we were to survive.

Sometimes things got pretty rough, but she knew just what to do.
Mom was really pretty tough - and she always - saw us through.

Forever putting family first - as her own needs were set aside.
Making any, and every sacrifice, so the rest of us could thrive.

Unaware of her own heritage and not knowing who she was;
Mom was surely ever mindful - being adopted has its flaws.

She didn't let it get her though, her courage was forthright.
Facing down every challenge - so determined - yet polite.

Whether at the Wool Bureau - or in Fashion and Design;
Mom took over mid-town, and in Manhattan was sublime.

Already in her 60's, when she studied marketing at night.
At Bergen Community College. She was really quite a sight.

Always there to nurture me - mentor and support.
My mom never failed me. She never came up short.

Mom didn't try to smother me. She let me test my wings.
She trusted and believed in me, and let try new things.

When it came to my being gay? It's true, she shed a tear.
But then she said she loved me, - and told me not to fear.

How very insightful and perceptive, - My Mom turned out to be.
Explaining she had always known - and was waiting just for me.

You see Mothers are the first to know, - they have very little doubt.
But, they wait for you to tell them so, - they wait till you come out.

So Thank You Mom, for your Love, Support and Generosity.
And know that I won't soon forget, all you have done for me.

So now that the ides of of October - once again are here,
may I say Happy Birthday Mom and Have a Wonderful Year!


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Tara's Special Day

Today's the day - Tara's Day.
I wouldn't have it any other way.

My other mother Tara and my very special friend.
She was always right there for me and ready to defend.

She made it look so easy. You know she really did.
So nurturing, loving and caring, always ready to forgive.

An inspirational influence - a force not to be denied.
Her enlightened humanist values, on which I still rely.

How can I hope to explain, or even possibly impart,
how Tara welcomed me in - and opened up her heart.

She loved me as her own - and treated me as such.
Now I'm forever grateful and love her back so much.

My Other Mother Tara and Matt my Special Dad.
Plus my Other Brother Gary. I was indeed a lucky lad.

The World's Fair and Freedom Land, Coney Island and Jones Beach.
Cherished youthful experiences that were well beyond my reach!

A parachute jump, a fun house romp and a roller coaster thrill.
A true "Cyclone"[1] experience - that lived up to its bill.

The Rockettes at Radio City and the great shows on Broadway,
Christmas in Rockefeller Center, with everything on display.

Shopping days in midtown, something I'll never forget.
We were great friends to Mr. Macy and the 11 Jewish Vets[2]

And then there was 1400[3] - and the Highbridge Neighborhood
a loving and unique experience that only we understood.

This boy was in a wonderland, that Tara helped provide.
Good friends, times and memories; We hoped would not subside.

So with overwhelming joy and love. I remember in this way.
My Other Mother Tara - who was born upon this day.

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[1] The "Cyclone" is the most famous attraction in all of Coney Island, and one of the most famous wooden roller coasters in all the world.

[2] E.J. Korvettes was a popular discount department store located on Fifth Avenue and 47th Street in midtown Mahattan. Urban legend had it that E.J. Korvettes stood for 11 Jewish, Korean Veterans.

[3] 1400 University Avenue in the Bronx, was a five-story walk-up, where we all lived, worked and played.

A Few More Thoughts About The Kennedy Boys

My friend Billy sent me an email today. It was a kind and gentle reminder that I've been neglecting my blogging. He's right of course, I haven't posted recently. His email and the fact that someone even bothered to notice my absence was perhaps just the inspiration and motivation I needed.
"Haven’t heard from you in days!", Billy wrote, "You haven’t updated your Ted Kennedy blog yet. His death was a real blow, even though it was expected, it really was the end of an era, an empire, an age of optimism and naïveté."

- Yes indeed it was Billy, indeed it really was. The end of an era and the loss of innocence. Or did we still have innocence left to lose?


Forgive me please, but once again - I do feel so inclined
to express some thoughts in meter and of course, in rhyme.

Was our Innocence ours to lose, or was it long since gone
way back when we first lost Bobby and Dear Brother John?

I don't know why it is and I don't know how to explain,
but ever since then, nothing seems to be quite the same.

Have I just gotten cynical, grouchy, cantankerous and old,
or is something palpable happening, that really needs to be told.

It was to a hopeful generation that the torch had been passed,
but what happened to our optimism? - Why didn't it last?

The "Edmundian" Forensics were my High School Forté,
when I wrote and delivered speeches that I remember 'til this day.

The competition was fierce - Oratory and Debate.
My pinnacle achievement - First Place in New York State.

"The Prospects For My Generation" is what I then spoke of,
So full of Piss and Vinegar; and Peace and Hope and Love!

Is it just my imagination and fond memories that persuade,
or were the sixties truly special and a uniquely confident decade.

We went to the Moon on July 20th, nineteen sixty nine,
but it wasn't Alice Kramden's foot that stepped out so sublime.

An Astronaut named Armstrong, fulfilled the Kennedy Pledge,
and it was his "Giant Leap for Mankind" that then gave us the edge.

Anything seemed possible and perhaps it truly was,
we seemed to work together and have a common cause.

Yes we had some hard times and we often disagreed

but we cared about each other and one another's needs.

So we created Medicare and then even Medicaid

it truly was remarkable, a benevolent decade.

The Kennedy's believed that health care was Not a privilege but a right,

so Ted diligently pursued this - working hard both day and night.

Now that they've all left us, does not their legacy implore,

that we find a way to do this - and give a little more.

Limbaugh, Beck and O'Reilly would surely disagree

but Limbaugh, Beck and Bill O' don't care about you and me.

Greed has taken over, you see it everywhere

let's all look out for # 1 and never, ever share.

You say that it's the deficit and we simply can't afford

but one way or another - we can always afford a War.

Maybe it's time we got our priorities in order people.

Just Thinking...

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Thanks For Reading!

Apple Annie's Special Day!

My Own Tia Anna, Celebrates This Day.
A landmark year, that I won't giveaway.

Not that Anne would care, I'm willing to bet;
age is Not something, Apple-Annie does fret.

Unlike me who panics - with each passing year.
she takes it in stride, with apparent good cheer.

I don't know how she stays - so young, fit and spry,
and can seemingly ignore - the passing of each July.

Ponce De Leon would be jealous - I tell you the truth,
for Anne must have discovered his Fountain of Youth.

She surfs the world web with ease and delight,
and sends emails aplenty, almost every night.

Her collection of Lions, for "Leo" - her Zodiac Sign,
is second to none, with every shape, style & design.

Perhaps it's Sinatra's, steadfast and tuneful advice,
that keeps her "Young at Heart" and so full of life.

I remember as a kid on a hot summers day,
she'd pack up sandwiches and take us away.

We'd board, if I recall, on bus twenty seven.
It was just Orchard Beach, but to us it was heaven.

So patient, so pleasant, so kind and so nice,
Anne was always there, to relieve pain and strife.

Her youthful exuberance is as evident today,
as it was years ago, to this young child at play.

So a Very Happy Birthday, I'm Sending Anna's Way;
and May the Best Things in Life, by Her Side, Always Stay!

    Just Thinking

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Remembering Cronkite...

Walter Cronkite
1916 - 2009





Long before The Networks, would tell us what to think.
There was a man named Cronkite, who was truly distinct.

Back when there was still real news, and not just sensation.
There was a voice in America, that narrated the nation.

A true journalist he was, fact finder, and truth teller.
An honest reporter of news, and never, an opinionated yeller.
He blinked back a tear when Kennedy died.
But still we could see, how he cried deep inside.

From JFK, to MLK, and RFK too.
Cronkite was there, to help get us through.

Through triumphs and tragedies, he would hold our hand.
From the man on the moon, to that damn Viet Nam.

So unique was he, that no words could describe.
So they coined a new phrase, by which he would abide.

As he steadied our ship, through each stormy tide,

He became the "Anchor Man" on whom we relied.

It was his great love of history, he attempted to share
When he re-created it for us, in the show "You Are There".

He explained the "Twentieth Century" as only he could.
And, I don't know how he did it, but we all understood.

From Einstein to Atoms and DNA Recombinant,
he mastered it all, no topic was too abundant.

A generation has passed, since he first left the air.
Yet still we remember, and we will always care.

"And that's the way it was", what else can I say,
As I remember this great man, who just passed away.

    Just Thinking

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The Curious Case of Michael Jackson

August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009





Thursday, June Twenty Fifth, Two Thousand Nine,
A day that will be marked in time.

'Cause something Iconic, happened this day,
Michael Joseph Jackson, passed away.

Impromptu vigils everywhere,
from the streets of L. A. to Washington Square.

Hong Kong, Vegas, London, Madrid,
the world all knew him, since he was a kid.

There was an audible moan, in New York's Times Square,
when on the big screen, the news was declared.

A Musical Genius, A Late Night Joke,
His Mesmerizing Dance, left a lump in our throat.

Tabloid Caricature, Provocateur,
Legendary Oddity, and so much more.

Was he the King of Pop, or the King of Sleaze?
That all depends, on what you believe.

You see something Ironic, happened this day,
Michael Joseph Jackson, passed away.

Rest in Peace Michael, - Rest in Peace.

  Just Thinking 



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