New Jersey

manahawkin lass –
she throws th’sand off her blanket
in just such a way
(7-15)



manahawkin dunes –
her towel hung ‘n th’grasses, she
weighs th’value ‘f travel
(3-17)



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sinatra’s milieu –
th’block, it seems, still in th’fifties,
‘n’ sweat ‘n th’stubborn collars
(2-18)










seaside lifeguard's one
problem - girlfriend's lasagna's
not quite up to mom's
(1-15)






they c’n lie ‘n’ steal, says th’bik’r,
make th’holl’nd tunn’l commute longer,
lost my vote f’rever
(7-15)





in millionaire's porsche,
you'd think 'tlantic city'd shine
on fourth - it doesn't
(1-12)





old bench, deep cut park,
overtaken by wildflow’rs –
good combination
(2-16)






hoboken summers -
tight families, no place to hide -
you'd be crooning too
(1-12)









lost in north jersey –
everything’s going t’ th’city
‘cept th’roadside wildflow’rs
(10-16)








august, jersey turnpike –
being th’wise guy, tells th’off’cer
grandmother’s in th’trunk
(4-16)






th’fury, th’trunk open –
in th’heat, th’officer’s dropped th’socks
on th’jersey turnpike
(4-16)








island beach state park –
full most hol’days, ‘n’ you’re alone
with what’s left ‘f your pride
(7-17)








hoboken yacht club –
humor on th’ferry they need
while penn station’s closed
(9-17)





lost ‘n th’maze ‘f interstates –
b‘side th’north jersey cloverleaf,
monarch ‘n th’wildflowers
(10-17)






lavallette beach homes -
for these folks, ‘til labor day
for her, they’re forever
(7-15)





grandma’s made th’pasta -
they stop t’see th’guy she’s met on
ocean avenue
(7-15)





all ‘f august, see’t coming,
th’day thousands go back t’th’city –
some we wish would stay
(7-15)






commutes from middletown –
even on fine august nights,
she plans by th’traffic
(2-16)







traffic, middletown,
th’city, august weekend eve –
just isn’t worth it
(3-17)







acrid stench, 'nother truck
stripped - steamy sunday morning
on the garden state
(9-14)







bumper to bumper,
top down through bay head sea breeze -
labor day mem'ries
(1-07)






up through asb’ry park –
stuck ‘n labor day traffic, points
t’where he first saw bruce
(10-16)






lavallette houses
only some are still lived in
from labor day on
(9-05)





up ‘n’ down th’jersey shore,
he says, th’towns had their thousands –
look how empty now
(3-17)





library perched high
on rock cliff above highway-
gold leaves, dark tunnel
(11-09)






leaves ‘f manahawkin,
chill wind at th’beach – none ‘f th’old friends
even think ‘f leaving
(12-17)





weehauken cliff leaves
fall into th’tunnel traffic –
should’ve stayed ‘t th’library
(10-16)








clerk with th’giants hat –
if they’re young ‘n’ pretty, likes t’read
their i d caref’lly
(3-16)


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caught ‘n th’giants traffic –
rutherford sunset, ‘n’ frost on th’bogs,
all stuff y’get used to
(12-17)





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sixty three pounds ‘f meth,
brought t’south amboy one fall day –
thought no one’d notice
(12-17)







hackensack sunset –
diesel fumes on th’meadowlands,
game traffic slows t’ crawl
(10-16)





bagel, lox 'n' coffee -
at yom kippur, grim resolve
t'face jersey city
(9-14)






pollution sunset
frames giants traffic, wasteland -
what's this 'garden state?'
(9-05)







hackensack waitress -
her fam'ly's turkey 'n' gossip,
she'd die without it
(9-14)







she makes ‘r own pasta –
he comes t’grandma’s, jersey shore,
ev’ry thanksgiving
(10-16)





cold city, sea ‘f lights –
th’only break, eighty crosses
th’hackensack river
(3-17)





before y’go back t’th’city,
one more campfire, th’gentle sounds
‘f th’del'ware water gap
(2-16)






black coffee ‘n’ wood smoke
at th’delaware water gap –
tomorrow, times square
(10-17)







near th’park place street sign,
th’guy ‘n th’old blanket reminds them
how it feels t’lose big
(7-16)






sinatra’s home turf,
amazing, local boy’d leave –
she watches her breath
(9-17)




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bruce ‘n th’caddy stereo –
even with th’roads clear, th’brick lass
won’t go to th’city
(12-17)







signs for hoboken,
vast wetlands ready to freeze -
diesel cloud sunset
(11-09)





delaware water
gap's winter wooded stillness-
this is new jersey?
(1-07)







george washington bridge –
snow ‘n’ ice, but th’city’s behind him
‘n’ there’s a full tank ‘f gas
(7-17)





burlington farmhouse
guest bed creaks - yule secrets
'f quaker ancestors
(9-14)





atlantic city -
hear lu's story at new year:
died at slot machine
(12-11)





ventnor avenue –
tales of new years gone by, th’mob,
‘n’ what it’s done t’ th’city
(10-16)








new boyfriend ‘t th’new year –
lavalette lass has snapchat,
‘n th’whole shore just found out
(3-18)






blizzard ‘n brick township –
how well folks can get along
when th’ocean’s ‘n turmoil
(3-17)







lavallette beach homes,
ocean, sand against their fence –
winter’s best, he says
(10-16)







warm dark eyes, fur hood -
she tries hard to imagine
life b'yond paramus
(1-12)






on th’bridge ‘t seaside heights,
crashing tide, unr’lenting sea –
th’snow, too, clouds th’vision
(10-17)





 

pile-up ‘n weehauken –
snow ‘n’ ice ‘n’ that heavy traffic,
stop too quick ‘t th’tunnel
(12-17)







garden state turnpike
window down, february
another car stripped
(7-05)





boyfriend’s kind ‘f jealous –
‘t’s valentines, ‘n’ she finds th’exit
f’r th’garden state turnpike
(10-17)






jersey's image falls -
in march squall, a cowboy finds
turnpike restrooms locked
(9-14)






bus from oranges -
holland tunnel, knicks final,
they go dutch on fares
(12-11)






gardens ‘f morristown –
work in th’city, value th’times
they c’n leave it behind
(3-17)






deli ‘n edison –
savor th’plate ‘f hamantaschen,
but dread th’horseradish
(3-17)





jalalabad mosque –
frets ‘bout th’parking, ‘n th’hot june night –
got t’protect your cars
(2-18)





camp, dunes ‘f egg harbor –
beach plum, morning companion,
coffee ‘gainst th’sea spray
(2-18)




e pluribus haiku


pinelands bell flower –
so proper, ‘n’ fine-looking, but
strong enough f’r jersey
(10-16)






tough enough f’r trenton,
caught off guard ‘n th’barrens – whole field
‘f pinelands bellflower
(10-17)






deli’s best reuben –
princeton grads talk ‘bout staying
out ‘f th’city’s orbit
(12-17)

by th’jersey roadside,
he sees why th’wildflow’rs like it
just outside th’city
(2-16)