Last Night At The Flamingo (1978)
John Ioza
There were two thousand queens last night at the Flamingo
Before the sun came up they dropped a thousand dollars
in drugs on the dance floor.
Eighteen superb mixes got sixty thousand oohs and
Forty thousand aahs last night at the Flamingo.
Two queens got six replays on a pinball machine
As I stared at the Rockola jukebox next to them
Last night at the Flamingo.
Two hundred and twenty-eight egos were destroyed
Last night at the Flamingo
Forty thousand cigarettes were smoked
Last night at the Flamingo.
Thirty five thousand of them were Menthol.
The rest were Mafia.
Seven queens forgot where they were
At least half the evening
Last night at the Flamingo.
Ten thousand plastic cups
Were flung to the floor
As six thousand cups of coffee disappeared
Last night at the Flamingo.
Four thousand sleeping pills were swallowed
In a masturbatory rush of self-administration
Last night at the Flamingo.
Seventeen hysterectomies were performed
Last night at the Flamingo.
I saw one queen checking hemlines
Behind a banquet
Last night at the Flamingo.
Twenty people fell out of the booth
Last night at the Flamingo.
Eighty thousand questions were asked
And nine thousand answered
Last night at the Flamingo.
A thousand conversations
Drowned in music
Last night at the Flamingo.
Thirty-seven queens changed their clothes
At least twice last night at the Flamingo.
Five hundred phone numbers
And seven hundred promises
Changed partners
Last night at the Flamingo.
Eight hot records, so new
They’re not even on the radio yet
Produced a thousand yawns
Last night at the Flamingo.
Two people fell in love
with each other
Last night at the Flamingo.
The seeds of eight thousand orgasms
In three downtown bath houses
Were planted last night at the Flamingo.
Three hundred-fifty bottles of Ethyl Chloride
Were consumed by six hundred white goddesses
On a honky-tonk safari
Last night at the Flamingo.
At least one person passed out
Last night at the Flamingo.
Unfortunately, I was dancing with him
And didn’t get to see who it was.
Fluctuations in the price of life
Caught my eye last night at the Flamingo
And several birds couldn’t survive introductions.
On my way home I spotted two queens
Licking the pavement outside the door
Last night at the Flamingo.
When I brought my white pants to the cleaner today,
He asked me if I’d been rolling around with the pigs.
“No,” I said, “Last night I was at the Flamingo.”
