The Din by R Bennett Okerstrom 42 strong words. [42 words]
A Guy Who Didn't Talk by Corey Alissa A poem about a shy guy and his life. [101 words]
You Let Your Jealousy Overtake You by Omar Longoria Dumb feelings thatare already gone from my soul. [111 words]
Whispers From Small French Children by Martin De Leon - [73 words]
We Care Carebears We Care! by Omar Longoria I have know idea where this came from. Goofy... but I like it. [75 words]
The Killing Heart by Christy Mack I'm not exactly sure what it's about. Just started writing. You decide. Fiction. [106 words]
Screaming Wind Knows by Omar Longoria You ever feel like your falling into a dream within a dream? [72 words]
Psalms Of A Hypocrite by Janae D Anthony No time to pray. [521 words]
Ponderings: A Collection by Reed Stuart A small collection of personal thoughts [606 words]
Oh Baby by Omar Longoria - [115 words]
Make Sure Their Dead My Dear by Omar Longoria don't go no not over there [109 words]
Leave It Alone by Omar Longoria What seems important now won't last forever. [67 words]
It Never Ends by Omar Longoria see i try, to look up to, to the sky, but my eyes burn! [117 words]
Downtown: Coney Island Footlong
Don't Fall On My Living Roots by Omar Longoria I drank to much last night... my head. and then you call me. [109 words]
And Then You Wouldn't Want It Any Other Way by Omar Longoria close your eyes. see the snake. one red eye and one green eye. 7 mi... [69 words]
Planar Void by Joey The Raven "Planar Void", titled after one of the poems in it, contains mostly love poems written after a brea... [2,784 words]
Weeping Willows by Randy Guess A man's brother talks about his suicide...and different views of life. [881 words]
To All The Lonely by Nancy F. Carlson this is expression of deep feelings of my own about fighting and boyfriends. there all poem... [1,087 words]
November Vibe by Rob Parrish - [360 words]
Infinity Of Evil And Others by Steven K Mitchell More dark poetry. [741 words]
He Knocked The Budgie Over by Joe Gallivan A humorous poem inspired by an assignment at a Creative Writing class [238 words]
Dreams by Melloson Allen - [124 words]
Downtown: One Eye by R Bennett Okerstrom Part two of a series referring to Downtown Detroit's homeless population. [223 words]
Downtown: Mr. O.D.C. Preacher by R Bennett Okerstrom Part three of a series referring to Downtown Detroit's homeless population. [261 words]
Downtown: Do You Have A Quarter? by R Bennett Okerstrom Part one of a series referring to Downtown Detroit's homeless population. [315 words]
All You by Rob Parrish - [249 words]
New Beginning by R Bennett Okerstrom - [93 words]
Nothing by R Bennett Okerstrom - [77 words]
'twas The Night Before X-Mas 2k by Mason Cole The real meaning of Christmas condensed into poetry form. [371 words]
War Chess by Mason Cole An allegorical look at the Civil War, espcially Lee and Grant. [548 words]
Us by R Bennett Okerstrom - [182 words]
To My Blooming Rose by Mason Cole A short work of dedication to a very special someone. [113 words]
The Stars by Mason Cole A short philosophical piece. [219 words]
The Roof That Night by Bruce The Mtndewpoet Just a bit of fantasy... [114 words]
The Rhyme Of Eternal Triangles by Richard Koss A poem that describes in a silly, funny way, the futility of wanting someone wh... [223 words]
The Greatest Of All by Mason Cole A work of triumph about a personal hero of mine. [381 words]
The Form Of Poetry by Mason Cole Peotry is an undefinable thing in technical terms. This piece is meant to help describe jus... [318 words]
The Eyes Of God by Janae D Anthony The omniscience of God. [190 words]
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TITLE (EDIT)
Downtown: Coney Island Footlong |
DESCRIPTION
Part four of a series referring to Downtown Detroit's homeless population.
[635 words] |
AUTHOR
R Bennett Okerstrom |
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
A collection of my work from circa 1995 to the present. Some dark and deep, others bright and cheerful.
[December 2014] |
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (63)
Asylum Of My Soul (Poetry) Nowhere to go. [36 words]
Blanket Of Trust (Poetry) Take my secret to your grave [59 words]
Blood Game (Songs) A lyrical taste of the hunt created solely for a friend's upcoming novel. [139 words] [Horror]
Broken Halo (Songs) An angel falls from her sky [182 words]
Bryna (Poetry) Saying goodbye to my mom [131 words]
Columbian Necktie (Songs) When you've said one too many things to piss someone off...someone writes a heavy metal song about you. [99 words] [Horror]
Dark Wave (Poetry) Exorcising demons of the past [113 words]
Deliverance (Poetry) Lingering thoughts and images of something I cannot recall. [97 words]
Denial (Poetry) Forbidden love [191 words]
Downtown: Do You Have A Quarter? (Poetry) Part one of a series referring to Downtown Detroit's homeless population. [315 words]
Downtown: Mr. O.D.C. Preacher (Poetry) Part three of a series referring to Downtown Detroit's homeless population. [261 words]
Downtown: One Eye (Poetry) Part two of a series referring to Downtown Detroit's homeless population. [223 words]
Dreamscape: The Thirst (Poetry) It even happens in your dreams. [77 words]
Echoes In My Head (Poetry) Laying in bed on December 24th. [61 words] [Drama]
Eternal Desire (Poetry) A vampire will stop at nothing to claim his bride and grant her immortality. [84 words]
Ever And Ever (Songs) Just another heavy guitar and deep baseline type of song on the subject of immortality. [127 words]
Faceless (Songs) The rise to the top can end abruptly. [116 words]
Feels Like Forever (Poetry) Sometimes you miss someone, if even for a day, and it feels like forever. [66 words] [Romance]
Here Alone (Songs) Sometimes you never see it coming [104 words]
I Keep On Falling For You (Songs) Just found it and others in a folder tagged "1993 Work" [142 words]
I Need (Poetry) This is a song about never really knowing what you had until it's gone. [124 words]
I Own You (Poetry) Never forget that I own you. [88 words]
Imperfection (Poetry) - [62 words]
In Your Dreams (Poetry) - [71 words]
Infidelity (Poetry) When a husband ignores his wife, a marriage will crumble and the wife will stray... [98 words]
Influence (Poetry) How influential can a demon of the night be? [218 words]
Losing Battle (Poetry) Prepare for sin. [109 words]
Lost Without You (Songs) More from the "1993 Work" folder. [179 words]
Mended Heart (Poetry) - [90 words]
Never Regret What Makes You Smile (Poetry) When two people want to be together and they aren't. [94 words] [Relationships]
New Beginning (Poetry) - [93 words]
Nobody Likes You (Songs) How does it feel to be the person that has everything but friends? [170 words]
Nothing (Poetry) - [77 words]
Progressive Silence (Poetry) Sometimes there is no sound. Starting over never works. [79 words]
R.A.O. (Poetry) Saying goodbye to my Dad [79 words]
Remember (To Remind Me) (Songs) Punkish song. [103 words]
Saddam Hussein (Poetry) I was bored. Therefore I write. [39 words]
Sanguinary (Poetry) The blood continues to flow in this experimental preface followed by poetry. [128 words] [Horror]
Seed (Poetry) Are eight lines enough? [44 words]
Shattered Dream (Poetry) The result of betrayal by one's best friend and one's girlfriend. [141 words]
Shut Your Mouth (Songs) Sometimes you just need to shut your mouth! [92 words]
Six (Poetry) What would you do with only six days? [68 words]
Someone Like You (Poetry) - [74 words]
Sounds Of A Summer Countryside (Poetry) - [113 words]
Standing On The Edge Of Depression (Poetry) Self-worth, self-pity and self-confidence. [137 words]
Storymania (Poetry) What is Storymania? [97 words]
Temporary Dreams (Poetry) - [36 words]
The Din (Poetry) 42 strong words. [42 words]
The Embrace (Poetry) A newly born vampire's first taste. [90 words]
The Voice (Poetry) Evil whispers across the wind. [127 words]
Theend (Songs) It's the end of this relationship. [106 words]
To Be Alone (Songs) I'd rather be alone than trapped. [106 words]
Unbridled Fury: The Battle To Breathe (Essays) Subconscious thought... [685 words]
Unbridled Fury: The Subconscious (Essays) Subconscious thought... [365 words]
Undaunting (Poetry) Bring me home [66 words] [Motivational]
Unflowing (Poetry) - [62 words]
Untitled -- 1989 (Poetry) As taken from "Disintegration". [96 words]
Us (Poetry) - [182 words]
Wake Of Destruction (Songs) You can run, but you cannot outrun fate. [112 words]
We Are Right (Poetry) You should always fight for what�s right in life and in love. [113 words] [Romance]
Witch Hunt (Poetry) Defeating the evil that takes away life is more difficult than it seems. [165 words] [Horror]
(I See) The Light (Poetry) Can you see the light? [98 words]
(It's Time To) Cut The Cord (Songs) There comes a time when you just need to cut the cord [131 words]
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Downtown: Coney Island Footlong
R Bennett Okerstrom
Dining Downtown is forever a challenge. How much do you want to spend? How much time can you spare? What kind of scenery do you prefer?
Sometimes it is necessary to forgo the comfort of the likes of the Summit, perched high above the city as it slowy revolves atop the Renaissance Center; rubbing elbows with General Motors executives who are bypassing work to have a "businessman's luncheon."
Sometimes one has a craving for a genuine coney dog courtesy of one of Detroit's finest establishments.
Strategically placed where LaFayette and Michigan come to a sharp point at the heart of the city, American Coney Island serves hundreds a day.
Rarely a vacant table exists, often you share a large table with other patrons. With Michigan Avenue to the North and LaFayette Street to the South, windows surround you to all sides but the West, where the dogs are cooking by the hundreds on the enormous grill.
It is a grueling summer afternoon when we enter the restaurant. Jerry catches us on our way in and directs us to two of the few open seats left. Before we can even sit down, Jerry puts in our order, yelling in broken English, "Three on one, no mustard, light onion! Two on one, no onion, two fry!"
Ok, so we're regulars. No Summit for us.
Our lunch arrives within three minutes of crossing the threshold. Various customers wonder how we are served without even ordering, but nobody complains because their meal, has too, arrived in a flash.
People watching. That's what you do when you eat Downtown.
As I lift my chili dog to my lips, I notice a figure out of the corner of my right eye. The man stumbles into the building. He asks where the restroom is.
Quickly, as if previously ordered to do so, the entire waitstaff approaches the man and tell him to leave. "Bathroom is for the paying customer. You pay or you leave!"
The man, clad in a long overcoat and beat up shoes, argues to no avail. Who wears an overcoat on a hot summer day? The homeless. If you leave your coat, you lose it.
The tall, black man exits through the door which we had entered only a few minutes before, spewing obscenities all the way out. Several customers complain because they have young children with them. What can a business owner do when the vagrants come knocking?
Typically, the proprietor of American Coney Island will feed the less fortunate. But not this individual. This particular man has caused trouble before.
While drunkenly weaving down the sidewalk towards the vertex at the edge of the building, this disgraceful Neanderthal unzips his trousers and exposes an appendage like nothing anyone has ever seen before.
The man smiles as his 12 to 13 inch hose begins to spray his waste all over the plate glass windows that line the LaFayette side of the building.
Customers scream in horror. Children begin to cry. My partner and I contemplate intervention, but opt to remain within the safe confines of the restaurant.
The waitstaff is unaware of the source of the clamour. Management asks us what is wrong. We point to the man, his penis in both hands as he arcs a long, stream of excess alcohol and water across the sidewalk and onto the glass. As usual, there are no police when you need them. But what would they do anyway?
After the owner yells in both English and what appears to be Greek, the man moves further down the sidewalk, the golden shower continues to flow. Gasps of complete terror echo throughout the room. Now at the apex, the man stops. He puts his giant piss pump away and walks across Michigan Avenue as if nothing had even happened.
I finish my coney and laugh. Such is dining downtown.
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READER'S REVIEWS (16)
DISCLAIMER: STORYMANIA DOES NOT PROVIDE AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWS. ALL REVIEWS ARE PROVIDED BY NON-ASSOCIATED VISITORS, REGARDLESS OF THE WAY THEY CALL THEMSELVES.
"Review: Mr. Bennet, recently had the pleasure of reading your less-than-glowing reviews of my work. Gotta say, as a critic you're unconvincing. Although, after perusing your so-called "poetry", I'm less than surprised. Just to let you know, the two stories you cynically "ripped into" have previously been published and praised by people who are employed in writing as more than just an online deadbeat poet. I urge you to think more before you spread unneccessary cynicism. obviously you didn't like the work, that does not mean, however, you are in any position to judge it. And after looking at your novel, I would stick to flying planes. At least in that occupation you haven't crashed and burned like the piece you've submitted here. Good Day. " -- Dan R, Rockville, Md.
"Dan, You have confused me with this last reviewer named "Bennett." Sorry that you did not like my work, but it was not I who gave you that last review. Although I do not fly planes, I will make every attempt to not "crash and burn." Good luck finding the real "Bennett" who deserves to be thrashed by you. " -- R. Bennett.
"Dan R. is just jealous. Your work is written very clearly and allows the reader to develope a mental image that puts them at a table in that very restaurant and allows them to see the entire event, not only through your eyes, but through their own as well. Well done!" -- Tara.
"Very well written work. In fact, the entire Downtown series is well written. I enjoyed reading your work and look forward to the next portion of the series. " -- Ivan.
"What a transparent cock-sucker that Dan R. is. Hey, he's not our cousin it? I'm still looking for your novel! We got to go out for dinner. The pissing scene it reminds me of a time..." -- olef ransom saulles.
"I recall the infamous pissing on the bridge in NYC incident. It's unfortunate that those cars below weren't ready for a golden shower." -- R. Bennett.
"I wonder if Manhattan is ready for my return? " -- R. Bennett.
"I don't know about Manhattan, but I know that Detroit is ready for your return. You belong there." -- JM.
"Thanks JM, but I never left. I still live in the largest suburb of Detroit and I work in Detroit. The Manhattan references are personal. You wouldn't understand." -- R. Bennett.
"I enjoyed this piece alot, having never been to Downtown Detroit, it gave a real feel for what it must be like! Excellent work and a solid Ten,,,Looking forward to reading more from you as time permits." -- Monte, USA.
"Thanks Monte. Detroit is a lot nicer than it's reputation. You should visit the city sometime. You'll be surprised." -- R. Bennett.
"Thought I'd go back and review what I have read of your work ... I found this series to be visceral and immensely readable ... you are very talented, R. Bennett" -- Judith.
"This provokes a rather disturbing visual. Your other pieces in this series are much better. " -- Ms. Deelite.
"If this produced a rather disturbing visual then it did exactly what I intended it to do. The object of this piece is to put the reader there, in the restaurant, with me as I observed this happening. I'm glad it reached you in the way it was supposed to. " -- R. Bennett.
"Yo RB! I agree with Ms. Deelite. But if thats the way this piece was intended, then you've accomplished what you set out to do. Good work. By the way, thanks for the constructive critisism on Vampire Wedding. I always welcome it from you. Doc" -- david doc byron, vincennes, usa, ind.
"Thanks Doc. I would never post negative criticism. I like to try and help (even if some people with the initials T.L. don't like it!). Your work is always enlightening. " -- R. Bennett.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2000 R Bennett Okerstrom |
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
November 2000 |
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2635
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