It starts with a bleep then
two honks on the tenor sax
You don’t know if it’s 4/4 or 6/8 time yet
Then the bass comes with
strong pulses
syncopating with snare and bass drum
Sax blasts a train sound
The guitar does an airy descent and
picks up electric shock crackle
at the bottom
crescendos
and it’s off
We jump to dance
Charles Luden • 7-27-08
Inspired by Joel Shotwell performing at Touch of Europe (From my poetry archive)
Drum Circle Novice
Up the lane lives a noisy girl.
Can you hear her at your place?
You live closer than I.
She bangs pots with big spoons.
Wants to be a drummer at the endless campfire
calling the spirits to wake the dead,
but actually keeping the living from sleep.
Where’s the earplugs or the cops?
Charles Luden • 8-23-12
To Achieve National Social Justice
Adjust the priorities for the people
not the power mongers
They tend to keep a lot
and suppress potential energy
Charles Luden • 8-30-12
(Overheard by the host stand)
Four elderly patrons approach the host stand and make a request,
“Can we get a table as closest to the bathroom as possible?”
S. L. Ehrisman (c) 9/2/12
POINTLESS
Yes, someone at work decided that putting an empty milk carton into a very tiny paper receptacle was a good idea.
Remember, The Ugly Table is almost 90% customers, and 10% co-workers.
S. L. Ehrisman (c) 8/25/12
What are you? Three years old?
Customer: I will take a salad, only iceberg, dressing on the side.
Me: Only iceberg? Nothing else?
Customer: Yes.
I bring an iceberg wedge slice to his table (this is how our iceberg salads are served).
Customer: Well, you could have cut it up for me.
Me: Sir, in that rolled-up napkin you will find a knife and fork.
And I walked away.
I wanted to say, “Do you need me to cut up your steak for you in little itzy-bitzy bite size pieces to? Maybe we can run your sweet potato thru a blender? Do you need a high chair and a bib?”
Grow up.
S. L. Ehrisman (c) 8/17/12
l3wis