Avenue Road
I was up in Toronto last July
When a sign on the highway caught my eye
It looked like a message in secret code
It said: Next exit, Avenue Road.
Avenue Road, it’s a helluva name
The thing and its label are one and the same
Come along with me and get a load
Of the things you’ll find on Avenue Road.
You can hike to the top of Pinnacle Peaks
Or shop till you drop at Old Antiques
Take a ride on the Carousel Merry-go-Round
See who died at the Cemetery Burial Ground.
If you walk to the middle of Viaduct Bridge
There’s a beautiful view of Mountaintop Ridge.
I saw a penniless pauper and a rich millionaire
Sitting side by side in Quadrangle Square.
Indulge yourself in a reverie dream
In the park by River Brook Channel Creek Stream
But your dream could become a nightmare if
You stand too close to Precipice Cliff.
Martin F. Kohn, of Huntington Woods, Michigan, is a musician, writer, and critic. His articles and reviews have appeared in American Theatre, Entertainment Weekly, Humanities, Back Stage, Best Plays Theater Yearbook, Dramatics, Parents, Parenting, USA Today, and National Geographic. He received the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for music journalism and once won an award for writing about bowling.