Black suede booties, patooties
Kicky heel, two-inch and tapered down to a tack, ankle-high
Odd things, but soooo comfy
Black velvet Betsey bolero jacket
over a spandex mini
Those shoes spoke to that dress and said yessssss
But the best part wasn’t the shoes
Nope, it was the socks
Yeah, good old cotton rolled socks
Bright red to match her lipstick
It wasn’t the getup that got her the gig
In truth, said the bartender later on
it was the shoes, propped up on the bar
like they needed their own shot of bourbon
He said the socks didn’t hurt, either
(c) 2024 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
The Bushes of Central Park West, a nice little gay catering largely to older men, operated off the lobby of the Park West Hotel on W. 73rd in Manhattan. I lived upstairs – this was the place I lived at the time John Lennon was shot up the block, the place I cited in the past poem. Bill Dance was the bartender, a one-man one-liner joke machine, and one of the sweetest guys I ever met. Sometime, remind me to tell you the story about his stock company on the road doing The Wizard of Oz in the 60s. Bill was the one who got me the gig, and we were friends until his death in the mid-80s. He knew Christopher Kennedy and Jeff French. Such a shame, all 100% sweethearts. RIP Bill Dance. Amy
Pink Champagne
Was that the name of
the chalky rose that graced
my 20-year-old lips
Was it a drag queen or
my girlfriend Rickie who gave me
that stick/mystical tube
Cylinder of cotton candy
and chemical confection
that no doubt helped my pout
Yes, it was Rickie after all who
slipped Georgette Klinger into my purse
and said, “Work it, girl”
© 2015 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
When Imaginary Garden With Real Toads mentioned the color pink, this little memory emerged from the silver tube of my synapses! I will always be grateful that Rickie Lee Jones is my friend… we are almost the same age, but she was always the big sister, more worldly, a bit wiser. And yes, she still has the BEST makeup, hee hee.
She has her first album of all originals coming out in June, so stay tuned. I will write to one of those pieces.
Amy
Sharp Little Pencil 