Courteny Pine

Verb Competition

I am writing shortly after returning from a jazz concert in Berkeley
Square. I knew there was a fare and the evening music came up to me
through my window. Wandering over to the square I joined what was for
me a surprise concert.

Then I heard the Verb competition announced on Radio 3. What is a
character monologue? A single voice about a character?

Sinusitis and post nasal drip hold me down although Courtney Pine put
me in the upper leaves.

"Man.
Black, yeh.
Fat, mmn, fattish.
Up there puffing
Gold bent pipe.
Shiny, waving.
Uh, .
Man; tunes, trills and spirals;
Swaying jagged jazz.
British jazz, man says,
Black man,
All Union Jack,
Great, he called, where's the "old great"
When he's a boy.
"United Kingdom".
United's not same.
Hmmn.
Courtney's "great",
Damn; he is damn good.
Great, not United.
Pine, not plane tree.
So high above them planes.

Hear that bird that sang here?
CP took bent pipe,
Like it was a beak.
He scratched some fine
Scraped calls like that damn bird.
You know,
It played at night in gusts.
CP good bird
Black but what de hell.
Great British and great he is.
He sang that pipe in that square

Some stars in those leaves.
Music magic stirs the spirit.
Silent shadows watch
Then jump to CP's beat.
High and happy.

Gnawing in the gut,
Forget that realism, life.
Lift, rise, on those gifted notes.
No spiffs or crack here.
No blue men
No need.
No emergency.
Kindness in crowd,
Hugs and holding close.
Only blackheads up on dem boards.
Whitehead's stand on grass.
But the only class is CP and his
Black boys. Damn class.
The jazz is good and CP
A friend who plays pipe down
With people on grass! Mazing.

Westminster Council did this;
Mazing.
Good.
Courtenay Pine out stands
The planes above.
His notes fly up there
Magic dancing twinkling
Sprinkling silver dust.
Everywhere.

Back on sofa. Verb.
Action word so down these go.
Now with an empty square.
My head is full.
Good. Yeh. Good.
Now must brush off silver dust.

255wds

? Carl WV Hopkins,
12 Bloomfield Court
Bourdon Street,
Mayfair,
London W1K 3PU

02074914599
carlhopkins@tiscali.co.uk