PETER BENFAREMO - THE LEMON ICE KING

  










Ode to the Lemon Ice King

 

We are gathered here tonight to sing

Praises to the Lemon King!

 

To lick the cup, life’s fleeting pleasure --

An absolute New York refresher treasure

How many tastes

            How many smiles

                        How many mmmmmmmmms

Impossible to measure!

 

What is the appropriate

Absolutely not disproportionate Approach to the delectable

Selectable

            Ineluctable

                        Retractable

Licking of the cup?

 

First pinch the pleats

Twixt thumb and index

Feel the seep of cold take hold

Feel the chill thrill fill

The ooooo natural reflex

Your thumb your index


Now bring yr oh so virtuoso
Bottom lip to lip of cup

Reach you tongue around and up

And feel young, feel young

Aswirl atwirl a curl tart sweet

Lick it nicey! Twice or thricey!

Never asking what’s the pricey ….

Close your eyes and taste the zing

A royal visit to the Lemon King

 

So much better than the ice cream

From a  truck that rings

That sappy ding-a-ling

And I’m not just talkin’ bout the taste --

Ice is better for the waist!

 

Though his throne’s a glassed-in palace

Though the crown he wears is cotton

Some things in Lemon Kingdom

Should never be forgotten

For the King of Queens he does ordain

During his sessanta due –

His 62-year reign

ICES MUST BE EATEN       PLAIN!

Though the shovelers are the nicest

THEY WILL NOT MIX OR EXCHANGE ICES

Every nudnik  bows in favor:

Ices are a single flavor

 

And do not ask him for a scoop

They use a shovel -- not a scoop

With an ice, a cup, an alley oop

That flips the ice fantastic

Shovel’s real steel, never plastic,

Why you wanna make a mess?

When you could taste the pure, the best

No inbetween

Don’t mix yellow with the green

Lemon with Pistachio ?

Gets a big Corona no no no!

Peanut butter better batter left alone

An ice is best ate solo --

Solamente solo!

 

If you want to make the scene

Make it w/ the  only King of Queens

Peter Benfaremo

If you only know what he know

No matter where you gonna go

Que bella bella-issimo

For nothing’s nice as lemon ice

Served by Benfaremo

 

So tonight we give a token

Before this esteemed crowd

To the man who wears the crown

Pete Benfaremo!

And his incredible Persona

As the Lemon Ice King of Corona

Where Dapper Don and Don the Dork

And everyone who gets outta work

Brings their finest fancy champagne date

To the place Corona-ites will congregate

Spaghetti Park’s across the street

And half the universe shows  up to meet

Sweet Pete Sengore Benfaremo

Pete the Lemon King

Sees puddles of sticky-fingered sunshine    Sizzling

On the sidewalks of New York

 

Trip the ice fantastic

Drip so enthusiastic

Pop the cork

For the Lemon King of all New York!

                   ~Bob Holman & Steve Zeitlin