New York Whirlwind Poem by Deanna Samuels

A whirlwind of a long weekend
But - what a weekend! What a whirlwind!
Pre-booked set of shows and concerts
A full program - and yet - with some more surprises
Arrived mid-Wednesday at very busy Newark
The 777 taxi awaits, whooshed me off to Manhattan
Alighted at relative's condo; an hour or two to catch up
Taxied to restaurant, our third party already at table
Delicious dinner partaken, assorted freshly cooked meats
One of the tastiest meals for many a long time
Thursday came; met with cousin at Times Square
Though, at first, which Times Square was meant?
She at one, I, at the other, waiting outside McD's
A phone call soon sorted out the problem
Restaurant chosen, a build your own salad prepared
Three hours later after exhausting our news
Bid farewells beneath the New Year's crystal ball
Thursday evening; a concert at Carnegie Hall
An extra special treat - and who to see and hear?
Violinist Itzhak Perlman and pianist Evgeny Kissin
How better can it get, they made it look so easy
The performance most memorable, many encores ensued
Thursday ended well - and how could it not?
Friday; the fourth member of our party flies in
A lone walk on 2nd and 3rd Avenue to make a purchase
Hence from which, my ‘New York Traffic Chaos' poem created
Later, dining in on delicious smoked salmon and veggie deli
A taxi of foursome to Brooklyn's Polonsky Shakespeare Center
An exciting introduction to this newly found theatre
Modern and compact, catering for a New Audience
The play this evening - The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
A magnificent, mesmerizing awe-inspiring performance
Modern dress and energetic choreography did not detract
Gave a more realistic understanding of this 2000-year old scene
Thought - has anything ever changed in cutthroat politics?
Saturday; a morning of worship and reverence, restful afternoon
Dining in once more on fish and veggie deli; a taxi to The Met
A night at the opera - La Traviata was exquisite
The staging soft and delicate yet, at times vibrant and loud
Intricate lighting changes to meet the mood of scene
Placido Domingo has not lost his appeal, a privilege to attend
Sunday came; a leisurely morning - but now what to do?
Nothing planned - can't waste the day - whisked through reviews
Booked ‘INK' for the evening, a good write up given
But what of the afternoon? Already it was 1.45pm!
Perhaps matinee rush tickets to the musical ‘Kiss Me Kate'?
Four pile into a taxi to Studio 54; oh dear, only one ticket left!
"Wait on the side", we were told - "you never know"
Sure enough, one more ticket came up, bought the two
Time was now pressing, already it was 2.50pm, show was at 3
Now what to do! Decided the two ladies to proceed inside
The guys to go to sports bar to watch the hockey game
A few minutes later, a message saying two tickets sold off
All four were now seated, though in separate areas of theatre
In conclusion - was it all worth it?
Yes! What a great show, the dancing and singing superb
Shakespeare's ‘Taming of the Shrew' within, never played better
A taxi to Manhattan Theatre Club, a speedy dinner nearby
‘INK', a biographical recount of London's Fleet Street of 1969
With young Rupert Murdock taking over THE SUN newspaper
Riveting and brought back many a memory of those days
Well, by then, we admitted - we were all theatred out!
Taxi, returned to condo to pack for an early next day start
Goodbyes to our great hosts, will see them again soon
Sunday; early morning,8am,777 taxi to Newark Airport
Our great showtime visit weekend over - what a whirl
What a New York Whirlwind!

Written in New York City and Richmond Hill - 30th April 2019