Medley Boys Social Club

The corner of MacDoudal and King Street—
street level–
A large coffee machine on the marble counter—
La La is at the helm—
he drips and serves brown and black coffee from the machine—
Cappuccino is a foreign word left for the N.Y.U. students—
Orazatta is a popular cloudy Italian drink made from almond nuts—
Home run gin and pinochle are the card games—
The players fill the room with smoke and hard luck cursing—
the games run from noon to the wee hours of the morning—
Tommy the Priest books out the back room—
He stuffs horse and sporting slips through a trap door in the floor—
The cops make their monthly raids—
they pace the back room searching for the trap—
Can’t find it—
Gee, too bad—
Tough luck—
The bulls can’t get a break—
The players laugh silently—
The Priest moves to a new location—
John the Bug a graduate of Alcatraz takes over—
The word spreads around the club—
A presidential pardon from Harry Truman—
The players know The Bug has notches on his belt—
He is to be respected and feared—
Business as usual—
The trap door is in the floor—
Lots of action—
Gambling illegal—
Not immoral—
The cops pace the back room—
Become more frustrated—
Threaten players with an overnight trip to The Tombs—
The players are silent—
Don’t know nothing—
Time Zone—
Fifties through the sixties—
My last visit – 1971—
The Feds busted the place in 1986—
Cat and mouse games are over—
La La, The Priest, and The Bug are at rest—
The Medley Boys Social Club remains empty today