Gay of a Certain Age - The Hummer

There was a time when being in the middle of Times Square
with the hustle and bustle of so many people
would be exciting to me.
I'd feel like a part of it all,
like this is where I should be,
with all these people helping New York be what it is;
a melting pot with so many different people
from so many different backgrounds
and cultures.  Everyone around me speaking different languages
talking about how excited they are for the same reason I am,
that we're all here in one place at the same time-
creating this fabulous hum that vibrates throughout the city!

As a Gay of a Certain Age, I find that this is not so exciting anymore.
I'd rather be in a hotel room with the air-conditioning blasting and a
Rhoda rerun on the T.V., waiting for dinner time & my next show.
Now it's just too much!  A cacophony of languages expressing frustration, exhaustion or
just plain stupidity.  I don't want to navigate around this horde of sudden stoppers or
path blockers.  I want to move at my own pace and walk like I'm going somewhere.
I want to get a clear shot of whatever photo I'm taking without having to wait
for a mob to pass by or Gladys to decide that standing directly between me and my target
is not really where she wants to stop and ponder the magic of neon.
I don't want to listen to whiny children or angry parents.
I don't want to take a shiny card and bracelet from Buddhist looking folk,
who are spreading peace and love, but then demand it all back when you don't have any cash to donate.  That's because printing and handcrafts cost money- Peace and love cost money.

No, I'd be happier in a quiet lounge with a Campari & soda in hand,
where there's a piano playing nice and slow, uninterrupted
and it is the loudest thing I hear.
Have people just become more loud and obnoxious, or have I just outgrown
my patience for it?
Anyway, now I listen to the hum...
 and then I wait for the gun shot.   Ahhhhhh...