Spike
Chinese Firecrackers for a suit,
Hayseed gumshoes, straw hat
Raw and flat as cymbals
Ready for attack. Whack!
From which art-deco cube
Did you crack all the woodwork up —
Xylophone to garbage cans, with
Persuasive percussion!
Wipe that grin off your face. It broke
My heart when I tripped and fell,
Cracking your shellacked 78
That was the antidote to sentimentality.
Smashing glass in “Cocktails for Two,” or
You wrote a novelty song for Christmas,
When all you’d want were two front teeth.
Such a hit, it became a jazz standard!
Without you, it would have been harder
For Frank Zappa to find humor in music,
Or for Weird Al to spawn those MTV
Videos that mocked pop’s sacred toads.
Every good tune deserves a rise
From heart-felt Little Rascals Alfalfa
To Florence Foster Jenkins who
Butchered opera at Carnegie Hall.
So let’s resurrect Doodles Weaver
For a “William Tell Overture” horse race,
Or sing “Die Fueher’s Face” to remember
That World War II was against fascism.
[Disposable Poem March 14, 2016]
Dr. Mike
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