No, “06880” is not turning into The American Poetry Review.
And no, neither I nor Paul Lebowitz claim to be Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost or Rudyard Kipling.
Or even Ogden Nash.
But on the heels of my Monday attempt at rhyme — hey, readers had a good time — the Planning & Zoning Commission chair sent his response.
Planning & Zoning Commission chair Paul Lebowitz.
He speaks not for the entire board
But read it; perhaps it strikes a chord:
It was just before New Year’s,
And all through the land,
Developers whispered,
“Let’s build something grand.”
“We’ll max out the density,
Go up 6 more floors,
Throw on a big cupola—
Heck, add some more doors!
“Let’s fill in the wetlands,
And dig a big pool
Add some stone walls,
Maybe a patio or two
“No permits, no site plans,
We won’t bother asking,
Why slow down the fun
With all that red-tape tasking?
“Setbacks are suggestions,
The code’s just a guide,
If we squint at the map
It all fits inside.
“Let it be the next buyer’s
Problem, not really ours—
It was like this already,
We just added them towers.”
Then off to the P&Z
With a straight-faced appeal,
Claiming hardship and fairness
And “neighborhood feel.”
And the neighbors all sighed,
As they muttered, “Oh dear…”
For it’s always the same,
This time every year.
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