Sunday, December 28, 2008

The Boys In The Lesbian Jazz Band

The boys was sitting in a corner of the club one afternoon like they usually do,
Playing music for a long time without interruption
That they eventually named “Lesbian Love Tune”—
They couldn't give any reason why when we asked them about it later—
One of them had said it and the others had nodded.
Apparently it just sounded that way!

After that, the rest of us sat around trying to sort it out.
Did all their other tunes sound different now?
Maybe this way or that,
Maybe masculine or tough,
But it didn’t seem to be the case,
And no one ever knew where or why
That tune had come from.

I think there’d have been less drama and curiosity
If they’d called it instead by some vulgar name
For a woman’s parts, some word
That you normally can’t even say,
But in the jazz world of that day might have prospered!

At any rate, it plagued them and followed them
From one engagement to another
Until nobody wanted them any more.
It wouldn’t have mattered any more
If they’d named the tune “Balls”
Or if they’d squelched it
And never played it any more,
But they were mesmerized by it,
They couldn’t lay it down
Any way except that one way!
They painted themselves into a corner—
With all their hearts they
Played themselves into oblivion—
And no one even remembers their names.
No, not even me.

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Abandon hope, all ye who enter here! (At least put on your socks and pants.)