STARDUST IN REELS

Dawn of sound,
birth of stage,
echo through me,
the golden age.
where celluloid deposes time’s natural order.

In the mockingbird, I do concur,
race the chariots with Ben-Hur.
the plane, from Casablanca, departed,
leave I, with the hero, somewhat broken-hearted.

Crosby, Hope and Danny Kaye,
King Kong clinging supple Faye Wray,
Tapping through showers with umbrella in grip,
luck be a lady?
just shoot from the hip.

Fanfare for Astaire,
and Rogers,
and Rodgers,
and Hammerstein.
Oh, what a beautiful morning,
to be younger than springtime,
in swing time,
top hat, white ties and tails.

Victorian ascot today,
Imperial Russia for ‘morrow,
This is the day, Judah,
in the shadow of Rome,
Oh, Auntie Em,
there’s no place like home.

Hefner, Hughes, Citizen Hearst…Kane,
Dorothy Dandridge, Auntie Mame.
Bogart, Cagney, Davis, Shearer,
draw the masses to their bosom nearer.

The world is indeed a stage.
Thuffering thuckatash!
I taut I taw a puddy tat!
Maggie the cat is alive.
In like Flynn,
Mickey Mouse,
Lombard’s spouse,
Gee, I wanna be a stooge.

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!”

Margaret Mitchell
Walter Winchell,
…these are a few of my favorite things.