ABOUT THIS WORK
The comedic song, IN NEW YORK with lyrics by Johnny Call and music by Whitney E. George, won first prize in the first annual Sparky and Wiry Cries SongSlam Competition in 2017.
The first time I came to New York,
by me.
Ahem.
The first time I came to New York \
it was snowing at JFK.
I got my stuff from baggage claim five
after posting some selfies in the airport
to let people know where I was.
New York.
New York:
The concrete jungle,
The Empire State,
the big Apple itself.
I dropped my things at my air BnB
and set out among the old stones and the history.
Towering steeples, man made tunnels, thunderous cars.
I took a water taxi so I could see her:
lady liberty herself.
But it turns out you need special permission to walk on the island.
So I went to the Empire State Building to go on the roof.
But it costs twenty-five dollars and you have to buy your tickets in advance.
So I walked around The City instead.
The food in Hell's Kitchen.
The shopping in Soho.
The lights of Broadway.
And suddenly I was there, the crossroads of the world itself.
Times Square.
The hustle, the bustle.
So many different faces.
Some busy, some lingering.
I took a photo for a nice older couple
from someplace called Weehauken.
Never heard of it.
The sun was long set,
and it started to snow again.
I felt such joy in my new locale
that I spread my arms wide
among a crowd of people and exclaimed
"I'm in New York!"
What happened next I'll never forget.
A homeless man shouted back
"Shut the fuck up!"
