The following is a poem based on the author’s
experiences one New York spring weekend with a Hollywood
movie crew filming the remake of The Taking of
Pelham 1-2-3, starring John Travolta and
Denzel Washington . The author deeply apologizes to Dr. Seuss.

By Elaine Furst

They’re filming a chase scene,
The crane makes the car tumble.
“So that’s how it works!”
To my neighbor I mumble.

The crowds go berserk,
You know what I mean?
New Yorkers get excited
When their street’s in the big scene.

The streets they are closed
To film the big scene.
I can’t walk my dog!
Do they know what that means?!

The cables are thick
And must be put straight.
Until then, the extras
They stand and they wait.

They closed my bodega.
I guess that just means
I’ll head over to Starbucks
And drink their coffee beans.

They’re building the sets
And laying the cables.
My bus route is blocked
‘Cause the filming made it disabled.

The traffic is jammed
Everything it just stops.
Even the guys in blue are acting–
Or are those even cops?

The bagels! The fruit! The coffee!
What luck!
No, silly, that’s for the actors
From the catering truck.

The parking spaces are taken
By all their big trucks.
I hope they know how inconvenient this is
And how much it just all sucks!

My sleep is disturbed
By the guy on the horn.
Guess my Saturday errands
Will be done earlier this morn.

The lights! The noise!
Is it daylight so soon?
No, that’s the light coming in from
The lighting platoon.

My doggie can’t poop
‘Cause the trailers are there.
Guess we’ll walk somewhere else
Do these people know, do they care?

I’m gonna carry my screenplay
And show it around
To the director! The caterer!
Even the grip guy who’s a dork!
So I can be discovered and not wait until next year
When Hollywood comes to New York.