You have it in print,
But it’s so goddamn thick
Now you can read it before bed without inducing a crick.
You can read it anywhere,
On a bus or a train
(But not direct to JFK, Bob Moses is to blame!)
You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
Shake your fist and mutter, “Bob Moses was there!”
When you see bridges, not tunnels, and underpasses too low,
Or when Long Island traffic is horribly slow.
And if the weather’s nice,
You’ll drive straight east,
In that case, of course,
You’re heading for Jones Beach.
It’s opener there
In the wide-open air
Though with the e-reader version,
Strangers won’t be able to stare.
This book's easy to carry
But it might cramp your style,
And it’s probably still likely
To grow dust on your nightstand pile.
Oh, the places you'll go! There’s infrastructure to be built.
There are neighborhoods to clear, and a shocking lack of guilt.
And the shady things he can do with that great gall
will make him the most bitter winner of all.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll read things to scare you right out of your pants.
His visions were grand and always on the level
But to be poor in the city you would think him the devil!
You’ll start out rooting for him, but begin to go “hmmm,”
As he obliterates neighborhoods and clears out the slums.
Lincoln Center is cool, and so are the landmarks,
If only he thought Black people deserved access to parks.
On and on you will read,
And I know you'll read far
and come to know Bob Moses
our relentless planning czar.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
With a book that long
Who can keep track of the flow?
So be sure when you start
Start each chapter with care
just remember you can flip back
Because these pages can’t tear
Never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right hand with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, what a treat!
(98 and 3/4 percent complete.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS (the mountain is a 1,336-page book)
So...
be it the Major Deegan Expressway, the Van Wyck Expressway, the Sheridan Expressway, or the Bruckner Expressway,
the Gowanus Expressway, the Prospect Expressway, the Whitestone Expressway, the Clearview Expressway, or the Throgs Neck Expressway,
the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Nassau Expressway, the Staten Island Expressway, or the Long Island Expressway,
the Harlem River drive or the West Side Highway,
You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...turn every page!
