Tag Archives: France

December 3, 2014

Le Hot-dog Vendor

	Le Hot-dog Vendor
301	The hot dog is American,
	as all its vendors know.
	They sell the links from carts each day,
	in rain, or sun, or snow.
305	A New York vendor took great pride
	in dishing out cheap lunch
	to business men and tourist flocks
	in desperate need to munch.
	His sales, they had consistency.
310	He never lacked for funds
	until that upstart lad next door
	too sold his franks in buns.
	The people did not note the shift,
	for hot dogs do not change
315	depending on the stand that sells.
	All hot dogs are the same.
	The vendor felt quite destitute.
	He watched his profits halve.
	He’d need a brand new business plan,
320	and he would need one fast!
	He added magazines to stock,
	but these days no one reads,
	so he plays music – no success.
	It’s drowned out by the street.
325	As revenue keeps climbing down,
	his status grows more dire,
	so hot dog man packs up his stand
	and makes plans to retire.
	“Well if this is the end of me
330	I’ll go out with a bang!
	I’ll pack my bags and head to France
	to vacate, or to stay!”
	The man had always dreamed of France
	from all the things he’d read –
335	the culture, art, and oh the wine –
	but sadly he’d not been.
	With business slowing down now, though,
	and age now sneaking up,
	the hot dog vendor boards a plane
340	and kicks up New York dust.
	At Charles de Gaulle he grabs a cab
	and starts his Frankish tour.
	La Tour Eiffel et Notre Dame!
	Excitement starts to soar.
345	At noon he sits outside the Louvre.
	A rumbling quakes his gut.
	He’s hungry for some French cuisine
	but knows not what he wants.
	Nearby a vendor’s selling crepes,
350	and Yankee scouts the fare.
	He notices a sausage link
	he’d not expected there.
	An idea stormed his eager mind.
	His trip must be cut short!
355	The hot dog man jumped on a plane
	and flew back to New York.
	His business thrived, he earned much cash.
	The crowds, they flocked to eat.
	Where gimmicks failed, his sign succeeds:
360	Le hot-dog de Paris.