Photo: Na’ama Yehuda
“You see those?”
“I sure do.”
“Well, that’s where they’d come through.”
“Don’t think I believe you.”
“Well then, just wait and see.”
“Until when would that be?”
“Sometimes ‘tween two and three.”
“What? Are you kidding me!?”
“It’s the city, my friend
And this is not West End …
Alligators won’t poke their head
Till the green light’s delayed.
Sure, they value the park,
The reservoir in the dark,
And the nice scratchy spark
From a bit of tree bark …
But you’d agree it is best
To let most traffic rest
‘Fore you poke scaly breasts
Onto Central Park West.”
For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers – Thanks for picking my photo of my ‘hood’!
And for those who want more … about this snippet of lore about Alligators living in the tunnels underneath the city … click on the ‘gator below …
Na'ama Yehuda 
Subtle… needs to be carefully read. Unless of course one is already familiar with the lore. Which I was not. Enjoyed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I realize this is probably more of an ‘inside joke’ than an immediate ‘aha’ … though I hope it’ll prompt people to click on the link at the bottom to get some more info about this … 😉
Thank you for your gentle critic! I appreciate it!
xoxo
Na’ama
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
I’m glad I didn’t know about this when I visited Central Park!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I think that’s true for a lot of places … where one does not know about some of the … um … local ‘issues’ … 😉
And anyway, why did think they close the park between 1am and 5am? 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve always believed the alligators in New York sewers are actually alien invaders from a reptilian planet. They weren’t visible in the moon walk film, which just proves they’re covering it all up
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like ‘solid proof’ to me … 😉 (those manhole covers are a part of the cover up, of course … ;))
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, so the song should be ‘See you after Delayed Green, Alligator, in a sewer, Crocodile’.
Not quite the same, is it…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not the same, but possible safer … because it adds some details about “later, when?” and “where?” 😉
Funny, Ceayr!
LikeLike
Hilarious good fun! 💚 🐊💚
Adele Ryan McDowell, Ph.D.
AdeleRyanMcDowell.com Adeleandthepenguin.com MakingPeacewithSuicide.com Channeledgrace.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yay! So glad you liked! 🙂 XOXO
LikeLike
I like the light-hearted tone of your piece. I knew about snakes living in pipes but I had no idea there were alligators in tunnels. I hope I never see one. Thank you for sharing your photo.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think there’s a proliferation of them in NYC … but it sure is fun to imagine … (and if you read the article at the end of the post – though the link there – it does tell of times there were some … alligators … in the tunnels of NYC …) 😉 So who knows.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, that’s where I saw it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 yay! I’m spreading ‘lore’! 🙂
LikeLike
Hahaha! Good wit and wisdom from the City That Never Sleeps, Na’ama. Fun read!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 Thank you! Yeah, best let most traffic rest before you walk onto CPW … 😉
LikeLike
Hahaha! Great wit and wisdom from The City that Never Sleeps, Na’ama. Fun read.
*this might have already gotten posted, but I wrote it again because of the “strange disturbance in the force.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know – these “strange disturbances” have been a real force of late …
😉
May The Force be WITH you and not against you … 🙂
Thank you for the fun comment!
LikeLike
Delightful urban legend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 Glad you liked!!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Na’ama Y’karah,
‘Twould seem the alligator allegations have been blown out of proportion. If the pipes call to me, I won’t heed. The last thing I want to meet unchaperoned is a scaly green monster no matter how delayed. 😉 Good one. Thanks for the link.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha, yeah, they’ve been hiding in the gutter and they make good people sputter … 😉
I’ve met enough monsters unchaperoned and I’m very much delighted to stay above ground, where I’m sighted .. 😉
Here’s to rhyme time!
🙂
Na’ama
LikeLiked by 1 person
Alligator: I must ask
Why do you not wear your mask?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thankfully I’m sure it does… Even the library lions wear theirs… 😁
LikeLike
I didn’t get the back story but I liked the poem 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Did you click the link at the bottom of the poem? There’s an alligator coming out of the sewer … it’s a link to a store about the lore in NYC with regards to alligators living in the subway tunnels … the source for the urban legend, which might not be all legend after all … 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
i had visited central park a few time and didn’t have a clue. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 Comes to show how urban legends are often known to the locals and less so to the visitors. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Never. heard of that one before, but learning about it from your excellent poem was great fun 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, live and learn about the things that lurk below the ground and in the fertile imagination of humans everywhere … 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
As they say, you learn something every day! Had I not clicked on the link I’d never have believed it! Thanks for the photo by the way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing, eh? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very good. And thanks for the use of the picture-prompt. I liked the structure of this one. Smiling about the gators.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad to have it shared by Rochelle, and as you can see, I had me some fun with this one besides. Yeah bout them gators … 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Walking along the beach area on Tyndall Air Force Base, FL, the sign near the picnic table said, “Please do not feed the alligator.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL! 🙂 Yeah, I think better not, especially if YOU end being THE LUNCH! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was great, Na’ama! So much fun – long as they remain ‘mostly’ rumours and urban myths…
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL, thanks! Yep, as long as they remain ‘mostly’ legends and keep away from moi, I’m fine … 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
You and me both!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLike
I didn’t know that particular piece of folk-lore. Well done. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Sandra. Isn’t it fab how urban legends take hold? 🙂
LikeLike
HA HA HA … all of those baby alligators brought back to NY by Florida vacationing tourists, and drowned in many, many bathrooms, are now having their just due. You gotta love NY … I do miss the craziness of it all.
Thanks for this weeks photo prompt. I didn’t want to go with the obvious.
Be safe … Be Healthy … Be Happy 😍
Isadora 😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL, blaming Floridians, are we? 😉
Glad you enjoyed!!!
🙂
Na’ama
(off to read yours!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was in the papers in the late 1960’s. The city was trying to make sense of the amount of alligators that were in sewers making their way to the subways. AND … why not there’s more people to eat. LOLOL
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL, yep, alligators won’t go hungry in the City … 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person