Earl of harlem meets the high priest of bebop (alternate take)

Abstract

earl of harlem meets the high priest of bebop (alternate take) Makalani Bandele (bio) dig that hatrakishly tilted tothe bank. you the cat with them hats, scooch over some. putyour bailey on and play awhile. all hat and expert prelude makesyou deadly— felanious artmusic. is you is or isyou ain’t? a bowler full of many minds decoratingspace with time. snuck a half-pint of whiskey in here under thisfez. hat trick. asian conical hat tricks you into thinking you’re jungle [End Page 39] and grown enough to slick mouth gee-gee. but it also could’ve been that whiskey. now, where can i find an unpredictable helmet across pinnacle? or a templeof fedoras with upshot uptown? that your herringbone trilby i swiped inthe foyer? my bad. but thatbrim was stingyas a clubowner, but not as crooked asa record label. felt hat versus cops’ batons, who you think won that one? that’s one cap myskull could never. of porkpie hat’sangry drunk. hat as hopefully not too much dark hope cooking in a spoon in a nook downthe hallway from lucretia’s cold water flat where rent party people dance the ceiling for lack of roomon the floor. [End Page 40] can i have some of that sombrero? can iborrow that ironclad yarmulke that escapedfrom labor camp? can i hold your bamboo hat for a lark? do i play too fast inthis beret witha piano pin? urbane lid says scores about a man of few words like chords. that cat is a distant hatfor miles of nothing but arpeggios.bruh,the newsboy cap says it all. [End Page 41] Makalani Bandele Makalani Bandele is from Louisville, Kentucky. He is an Affrilachian Poet. He has received fellowships from Cave Canem, Kentucky Arts Council, Millay Colony, and Vermont Studio Center. His work has been published in several anthologies and widely in print and online journals. He is the author of hellfightin’ (Willow Books). Copyright © 2019 University of Nebraska Press