jazz cafe

blood-shot chef fumed tony slipped a
whole fish pie to emma on the door
bartenders polished brasswork
with rented snow white towels
paperless till system crashed
plastic buckets awaited coins ‘n notes
bespoke steel stools bared razor flanges
matching tables revealed rust spots
cellar toilets overflowed the floor
dynorods invoice provoked a blockage
the heavy duty ice machine dispensed
six cubes overnight no one believed
derek the whippet caretaker who had kids
all over the place finished the jack daniels

the recon convection oven went on
strike aided and abetted by the food
lift snapping a cable you could see
‘n smell the sticky mess in the shaft
the agent wanted paying before a
special shipment back to ireland
treble supreme of chicken lay in pans
out into next door’s yard with piles of
dirty cloths ‘n aprons the gathering
throng stretched down parkway

“we could do with a few flowers on the
tables” give me strength the air
conditioner has never ever worked

but when the place filled to a stand
still ‘n even the fire gangway right over
the drums was lined with three rows
holding lemonsegmentedstoppered sol
‘n becks ‘n shredded smoked chicken,
the lighting dimmed, abdullah
sat long robed back at the steinway,
firmly stroked the keys ‘n sounds
that seemed like african markets, sun
‘n rivers washed magic round my ears