Clifton in Verse, Part Three

Clifton Ave., looking north toward Ludlow Ave.

Dear George,

I’m sure many (maybe even most) people are inspired to poetic musings by their neighborhoods.  That’s certainly the case in our Clifton village.  Our two major thoroughfares are Ludlow Avenue which runs east and west and Clifton Avenue which runs north-south.  Ludlow contains the center of the business district, while Clifton houses several major institutions and an elegant residential area.  I did two previous photo/poetry postings about places on Ludlow Ave. (see “Clifton in Verse”), the first one for the south side of Ludlow and the second for the north side.  The present photos and accompanying poems are mostly for Clifton Ave.  I haven’t covered everything of note, but this completes my neighborhood poetry-writing project.

Love,

Dave

Hebrew Union College

Hebrew Union’s a quick walk away

So many fine treasures of old

It’s a famous fixture, I’d have to say

With scores of new rabbis enrolled

Brueggers Bagels

In Bruegger’s they stare at their laptops

There’s only one patron per booth

The youth are all clad in their flip-flops

And the geezers look long in the tooth

UDF

UDF means “Farmers, United Dairy”

They sell eggs plus milk plus ice cream

Some like the peach, others black cherry

But it’s egg nog that leads us to scream

Good Samaritan Hospital

Good Sam is only eight blocks away

We got sitters from the nurses’ dorm

They took good care of our young son J

They were always so nursily warm

Burnet Woods

Whenever I long to get away

Burnet Woods is a soothing respite

Our sheepdogs wander about and play

On the trails they’re the handsomest sight

“The Muse of Clifton”

I’d say I’m in love with this sculpture

She’s the symbol of springtime and youth

I don’t know if she’s really high culture

But she radiates beauty and truth

Dewey’s Pizza

We go to Dewey’s for a married night out

They cater to adults and kiddies

The pizza is splendid, of that there’s no doubt

And their salads give people the giddies

Presbyterian Church and Day Care Center

The Presbyterians offered a center

We  sent off our son at age four

J’s teacher was an outstanding mentor

She taught him to mop up the floor

310 Bryant Ave.

My inlaws came to Bryant 310

They moved all the way from Philly

Helen would do it all over again

But my father-in-law thought it was silly

3507 Clifton Ave.

This was our home in ‘74

It’s a mansion befitting a king

We occupied the entire first floor

It made Katja smile and sing

Clifton School (now the Clifton Cultural Arts Center)

Clifton School had oodles of stuff

Like reading and cursive and art

Multiplication was ever so tough

But the kiddies who got it got smart

Mt. Storm Park

Mt. Storm Park is not much of a mountain

It’s more like a pretty high hill

The dogs like to sup at the fountain

And the cityscape gives us a thrill