Category: Art

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Frankford Stories

Frankford Stories

Reflections on life in a Philadelphia Neighborhood

Our new book Frankford Stories is out today, available on Amazon at this link.  It’s available in print and also as an ebook and if you have Kindle Unlimited, its free.

This is the second in the Frankford series, following Frankford Heroes.  Frankford People will be out later this year.

This is a collection of stories published in the Gazette going back to 2010.  I had a good time reading them again as I put this collection together.  There is a lot of humor and some nostalgia, mixed with a bit of some of the not so good.  They are all interesting from the best story tellers from Frankford.

If you live in or have lived in Frankford or if you have roots in Frankford in generations past if you grew up in Philadelphia or any other big city, you will enjoy this book.

To the authors: Al Houston, Joe Menkevich, Jack Hohenstein, Julia (Robinson) Mitchell-Hoffman, Lyle Larkin, Peter Dawson, Terry Rowley, Tony Wilkerson, and William Mastropieri;  I’ll get your copy to you as soon as I can receive  them from the printer.

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TURN ON THE LIGHT

TURN ON THE LIGHT

I’m in the jungle of confusion, in the valley of frustration, in a world with no direction.
Looking at the hands on a clock thinking they will never stop, why can’t we figure this out?
You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.
Can life be that uncertain, that we can’t figure this out?

Look around, time is running out. Can’t you see people are leaving that knew they had the answer.
They’re not here because they took their chances, not believing that what we’re dealing with is for real.
Because everybody thinks they have the answer.

Should I go or should I stay, should I wait, or should I delay my plans for the future?
Not knowing which way to go, trying to take it very slow, but that’s not the answer.
This situation has us so uptight; we don’t know if we should go left or we should go right.
So, when you go to bed tonight, I hope you figure it out – before you turn off the light – there must be an answer.

BY LENNY JAYNES

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First Date

FIRST DATE

I remember the first day we met, it was on a Sunday how can I forget.
You walked past me smelling like a rose.
I stopped and I looked, and you gave me a pose.
You stood there looking so dignified, in those black stockings running down your thighs,
Fingernails the color of pure gold, a small diamond protruding from your nose.
From that moment I thought it was fate, so I asked you for a date.
You looked at me and rolled your eyes, like this was some kind of surprise.
But I can still see the twinkle in your eyes. even though I may be running late,
I still remember our very first date. It was on a Sunday afternoon, now we’re on our honeymoon, and I still remember you smelling like a rose,
That day you stopped – looked at me, gave me a pose, then rolled your eyes.

BY LENNY JAYNES

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Only a Dream

Only a Dream

I feel like I’m in a dream, like I’m flying over mountains, valleys, and streams.

You take me higher than the birds and the bees. It’s so beautiful being lost in a dream.
My heart is beating so fast, how much longer can this last? “Lost in a dream”, flying higher and higher until I reach the clouds.

How do I know if this is a dream? Because I’m flying higher than anyone can believe.

Somehow, someway, you touch my heart, and made me believe that I could fly higher over all of the trees.

So, if this is a dream don’t wake me up, let me continue to fly high over rooftops.
So, if this is what love feels like, don’t wake me up. Let me continue to fly.
Because in the end – we all will realize – it was only a dream.

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Life Gets Better

Life Gets Better

Life only gets better when you learn to make lemonade,
It turns real-life struggles into something you can handle every single day.
So, don’t be ashamed to walk in the shade cuz –
“LIFE GETS BETTER “- when you learn to make lemonade.

by Lenny Jaynes