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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