Archive
11/09/09 - (1)
Riverboats
St. Louis's revitalized riverfront is charged with thrill, This balmy November Sunday evening.
Five years have passed since I've driven downtown. Obviously, time has worked its prestidigitation.
In my absence, three new gussied-up "riverboats" Have moored permanently, close by the Mississippi:
The daringly lit Four Seasons and exotic HoteLumière, Accompanied by their flagship, Lumière Place Casino.
Not since the last quarter of the nineteenth century Have we citizens witnessed such flourishing commerce —
The extravagant buffet, pervasive fragrance of smoke, Giddy litany of electronic sounds, dazzling lights,
People indulging their raw passions for primal happiness, By multiplying, dividing, adding back to their subtractions.
Overwhelmed and hungry, I seek scrumptuous sustenance, With the House of Savoy's savory "Authentic Tuscan food."
I'm the only one dining, when I sit down, at 6:15. By the time I leave, four more people have come in.
My car's been inundated, on the packed lot. It's rush hour for slots, poker, blackjack, craps, roulette. And another big crowd has jammed in, To swoon over the touted Elvis-impersonators show.
Driving west, home, into recession's drab shadows, I might be one of the few St. Louisans not gambling,
Rather betting that our new riverboats won't stay afloat, Instead slide down dry docks, into the Oblivion River.
11/09/09 - (1)
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