I live in New York City (Bayside, Queens), and much of my humor relates to New York City and State. This page will lead you to humor columns, song parodies, and limericks and other light verse by Madeleine Begun Kane about Wall Street, The GOP Convention in New York City, swing dancing in Manhattan, New York cabbies, driving to East Hampton, celebrity ogling, New York drivers, Long Island traffic, car alarms, New York City life in general, tubing upstate on the Esopus River in Phoenicia, and Bill and Hillary Clinton's Chappaqua house in Westchester County, New York.
Sometimes I even post "limerick reviews" of restaurants and theater, including Off-Broadway plays and Broadway shows, which might even inspire you to buy broadway tickets and see one of the many wonderful New York shows.
New York Haiku "Excited tourists
stop and stare, awed by Times Square –
forget they have feet. ..."
Dear Deer "A month or so ago, hubby Mark took a wonderful photo of a deer just a couple of feet from our deck in Putnam Valley, New York. I’ve finally written a companion limerick for that image..."
Heated Limerick "I don’t mean to bitch (okay, maybe I do) but it’s hot as hell here in New York. And weather forecasters are saying it will hit 100 degrees tomorrow. But hey … there’s no global warming, right? ..."
Dear Emily Dickinson, Please Forgive Me "As part of its National Poetry Month and Poem In Your Pocket Day “Envelope Project” celebrations, New York City is running an Emily Dickinson related poetry contest..."
Queens Unplowed "We’re in Bayside — no sign of a plow.
So our streets remain hazardous now. ..."
Eclipse Haiku Septet "It’s very cold here in New York. But as my husband sleeps, I’ve been outside watching the eclipse, coming indoors periodically to write some lunar eclipse haiku — a total of seven for a total eclipse: ..."
The Tenor Of Our Anniversary "My husband Mark and I had a wonderful time celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary on Friday, June 4th in Manhattan. ..."
Limerick Ode To Valerie Harper "I’ve been a Valerie Harper fan dating way back to her years as Mary’s best friend Rhoda in the Mary Tyler Moore Show. And now I’m even a bigger fan, after hubby Mark and I saw her on Broadway this weekend starring as Tallulah Bankhead in Looped. ..."
Limerick Ode To Ted Alexandro "As I’ve mentioned previously, Comix is one of my favorite New York City comedy clubs. ..."
Vibrant Vibrator Play (Limerick) "A period play about vibrators? It sounds like an unlikely theme for a Broadway play, but playwright Sarah Ruhl pulls it off in her In the Next Room or the vibrator play. ..."
Celebrating Sarah "On behalf of my fellow New Yorkers, I want to thank Sarah Palin for her generous gift to the State of New York. Palin’s leadership in driving moderates like Dede Scozzafava out of the Republican party handed New York Democrats a Congressional Seat (District 23) that had eluded Dems for well over a century. ..."
Street Metal (Limerick)
"While I drive, I espy something bright.
To avoid it, I swerve to the right. ..."
A Baysider's Ode To Queens "Both a county and a borough,
Part of New York City too.
On Long Island, yet not of it.
I'm confused as hell. Are you? ..."
Only In Queens, New York (Limerick)
“'Wanna ride?' says a cop on the force.
I decline, though politely, of course. ..."
Two Nights Of Big Apple Fun "If you’ve ever fantasized about a career in the theater, you owe it to yourself to see playwright Theresa Rebeck’s The Understudy on Broadway. ..."
Weathering New York Weather (Limerick)
"The weather outside isn’t nice,
And the walks are all covered with ice. ..."
Happy Birthday To Me "Friday, September 11th was my birthday — one of those traumatizing, ends-with-zero birthdays. So I told my husband Mark that, unless he wanted me to be a basket case on nine-eleven, he’d better plan something good. ..."
A Lamb On The Lam "I couldn’t resist writing a limerick about the seven-month-old lamb that escaped a live-animal market in The Bronx, New York and led police on a several block chase before it was captured. ..."
Spring In New York (3 Haiku)
"Calendar says spring,
But the weather disagrees.
Hope they work it out. ..."
An Arresting Affair (Limerick)
“A gal in New York was arrested
For strolling outdoors while bare-breasted. ..."
New Yawkers Are Polite ... So There! "I'm a proud New Yorker, so I was pleased (and unsurprised) to read that a Reader's Digest poll ranks New York 'the most courteous major city in the world.'..."
Pondering Rudy "I live in New York City, so I’m pretty familiar with the pros and cons of Rudy Giuliani. And yes, there are pros. What pros? Well, Rudy does love opera. ..."
Ode To The Can-Do Comic, Fran Capo "Without planning to, I seem to have launched an “Entertaining New Yorkers” series of limericks. ..."
The GOP’s In For A Rudy Awakening "As a long-time New York City resident, I’m amused by Rudy Giuliani’s candidacy. As a long-time New York City resident, I’m amused by Rudy Giuliani’s candidacy. And I find it ironic that Rudy doesn’t dare brag about the one thing that might appeal to people put off by his pro-choice, pro-gay rights positions — Giuliani’s aggressive stance against free speech...."
Ode To Starbucks (Humor column about cappuccino addiction, the Starbucks revolution, and life in Bayside, Queens, New York)
False Alarm My husband Mark and I have a weekend hideaway, a respite from the pace of New York City life. Our country haven is smaller than most; it was once optimistically measured at 400 square feet. ..."
The GOP Hits New York Song Parody (to be sung to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again")
"The GOP bash will soon be here.
Oh, no! Oh, no!
Won't give 'em a hearty welcome cheer.
Oh, no! Oh, no..."
On Wall Street (To be sung to "On Broadway")
"They say that things are really bad on Wall Street.
They say there's much malfeasance in the air.
But I don't want to hurt my friends.
And tough laws give my pals the bends.
Then donors drop right off and I'm nowhere..."
Ode To Judy Carmichael, Stride Pianist "I live in New York City, so my husband Mark and I often catch great musical acts, plays, art shows, and other entertainment and cultural diversions in the Big Apple. ..."
Jump, Jive, & Sweat "You're gonna swing dance in this weather? Are you insane?"
I've been asked that a lot lately, which isn't surprising when you consider this summer's humidity and heat wave. New York City's weather has been so unbearable, that felons have switched from car theft to stealing AC's...
Surf The Net In A Cab? Not On Your Life! "If you don't get enough Net surfing in at home or on the job, you now can do it in some New York City cabs, thanks to a Yahoo! Inc. and Medallion Financial Corp. pilot program. This should help distract Big Apple taxi riders, who spend most of their time clutching door handles and each other, while praying they'll make it to their destinations with most of their bones intact..."
E-Mapping It Out "When my husband Mark suggested an impromptu trip to Long Island's East Hampton, I instinctively reached for a map. Then I remembered; we no longer own any maps. They were soaked beyond redemption in a flash flood that destroyed our car during our last impromptu trip. We replaced the car, but not the maps..."
Kerik Alert "George Dubya's named his nominee
To head Homeland Security.
He's Rudy's man from head to toe.
But why Bush wants him, I don't know..."
Ogling Eyes "I was ogled last night by a very handsome, classy looking, much older man. Now most women (and I'm no exception) are secretly gratified by the occasional gawker ... unless catcalls and droopy drawers are involved. (Okay, maybe not the sponsors of the Anti-Ogling Addendum to the ERA)..."
Driving By The Book "Like most people, I'd love to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records. Unfortunately, I've never come up with a category that suits my unique talents. I'm afraid "World's Least Car Savvy Car Columnist" probably wouldn't cut it..."
Traffic LIES "Dear American Highway Users Alliance: We've been gypped..."
Tubing Blues "Tubing - the masochistic act of hurtling down a fall-fraught river while clinging to an inner-tube. Somehow my husband Mark talked me, a devout wimp, into trying it..."
You Really Want A House? Okay, Here's The Drill. "President Clinton recently picked up a cordless electric drill and joked that he'd be needing one now that he's about to become a homeowner..."
Iraq, Iraq (To be sung to "New York, New York" from "On The Town")
"Iraq, Iraq, I refuse to back down.
Most hawks say yup, but some others just frown.
Hussein belongs in a hole in the ground.
Iraq, Iraq, I refuse to back down..."
The Rantings Of Trent Lott (To be sung to "The Sidewalks Of New York" by Lawlor & Blake)
"Sounding off in DC
From his Senate stoop,
In his right-wing meetings,
Lott leads a scary group..."
