Tag: Jazz

Reality and Circumstance

~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

There is no reality,
     there is only life subject to circumstance.
Reality is how things should be—
     it is never how they will be.
I danced once with reality.
     I put my hands at her waist
          and buried my nose beneath her hair.
               Lights flashed,
                    the jazzband screamed.
She said, It’s circumstance that’s brought us here.
     But she wore circumstance like a wreath upon her head.
          I wished it a tiara.
I raised high her hand;
     spun her away;
          closed my eyes;
               imagined a night with her,
                    bejewelling her tiara,
                         lapping at her jadestones,
                              shining tight her lapis lazuli.
Too bad, when I opened my eyes,
     to find her gone;
          the dancefloor emptied;
               the jazzband packing up.
Circumstance, the trumpet player,
     had taken her home instead.
He bragged to me about it the next day.
     I said, Your playing’s flat;
          and, She’s more real to me
               than ever could she be to you.

Watching Twin Peaks

~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

A: You know that painting I was talking about at the coffee shop?

J: (John has a quizzical look)

A: Nevermind. I’ll show it to you at some point, but we’re not going to talk about it. I’ll fuckin have to write that down, otherwise I’ll forget about it. They took down my favorite painting in that place. It’s gone.

J: (Burp)

(From the television, the idyllic “Twin Peaks” theme starts up)

A: I looked up shit on Joan Chen. She’s pretty much been like a standard actress for like the last three decades.

(Both of them laugh)

A: Hasn’t done anything of worth, but ah, like, she did some shit on cooking last year, for the holidays…(laugh) I’m gonna get this out before this comes on. (laughing) Oh shit. But she directed something that’s supposed to be really good. That’s all I really wanted to say. Ok.

(The show is now in progress)

A: That’s that old lady, the log lady.

J: No, that wasn’t the log lady.

A: Fuck it, I really am not going to be able to watch this.

J: That’s…

A: Directed by Tim Hunter…? Fuck.

J: Who’s that?

A: Did you ever see that before? Maybe it’s just this episode.

J: It’s probably…

A: Fuck. Do you know who Tim Hunter is?

J: No.


Go on ...