Fantastic Forms at the Fabulous Forum
It all went down at the Fabulous Forum where I saw the Lakers play
and once even saw Dylan play (guitar, not basketball)
where there was scheduled a poetry slam called “Fantastic Forms”
and a battle of the bands during a half-time performance
of a double header of basketball games between LA and the NY Knicks.
The concert began with Bub Thrillin’ strumming and belting out his hit:
“How many poems must a poet write down
Before you can call him a poet?
And how many songs must a songwriter write
Before you can say that he knows it?”
B.B. Sing was up with Lucille and his really big blues band:
“Well, the Thrillin’ is gone, the Thrillin’ is gone away
Yeah, the Thrillin’ is gone, Bubby, the Thrillin’ is gone away
Well, you can’t write good blues songs
But I guess your folk singin’ is OK…”
Mike Call Jason was on stage with his monster hit, “Triller:”
“Cause this is triller, triller tonight
There ain’t no second chances
when I moonwalk through my dances
This is triller, triller night
I shake, rattle, and rock & roll my tones
I dance like a skeleton full of bones
As I trill, trill, trill on thriller night!”
Hard to beat it, but then Pelvis Expressly tried:
“Well, you may be the king of Pop
But I’m the King of Rock & Roll
And you ain’t nothing but a hound dog
Trying to be a glory hog
But in the spirit of 'American Trilogy,’
‘If I Can Dream’ you and I can perform together
like ‘Ebony and Ivory’ without ‘Suspicious Minds.”
Duck walking onto the stage Chuck’s “Sweet Berries” sang:
“Now I’m the real King of Rock ‘n’ Roll
You never wrote a song in your life
But I play guitar just like ringing a bell
I’m the original Johnny B. Goode
So, roll over Elvis Beethoven,
There’s too much funky business going on
But now I’m back in the U.S.A.
And I showed y'all the way!”
‘Retha Frankly strutted onto the stage, singing:
“What you need, baby I got it
What you need, you know I got it
All I’m asking is for a little respect
When you come home (just a little bit)
Hey baby, when you get home
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find it what it means to me…
Oh, hell! What it means is there’s five men
In this competition and only one woman!
What about more respect for all women?”
We interrupt the Battle of the Bands to bring you
news of the finalists from the Fantastic Forms Poetry Slam
performed in the back room during the rock concert:
Kingfisher with “I Got the American Right”
Co Co Chanel #5 with “Communications and Electronics”
“Good Trouble” Foster with “Hip to the Gyve”
“Jumpin’ Jackie” with “Basket Case” and “Haiku”
Calokie “Still Well” with “In the Beginning”
“Beverly Hills Bev” with “Glow”
And Marvelous Marvin with “Boxer.”
But the Poets get no R-E-S-P-E-C-T
compared to basketball players and rock stars
and the people do not get to hear the poems tonight
(available on i-Tunes, Amazon, and YouTube for $2.99…)
But the winner will be granted the honor
of being allowed to shoot a free throw for the Lakers!
And there he is with the augmented virtual reality
holographic Lakers team playing the AI generated Knicks.
And the championship is down to the final seconds
and the final penalty shots, he shoots once, shoots twice
they both go in, and the Lakers win the World Championship.
And a poetry hero becomes a sports hero right up there with
virtual Kareem, Magic, Kobe, Wilt, LeBron, Shaq, West,
Worthy, Elgin, and don’t forget Coach Phil Jackson.
So, the Kingfisher became the King Kingfisher by helping the
Lakers win the virtual world championship,
but Poets, keep fighting and writing for that R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
BIO: Charles Harmon has been writing poems and stories and songs since 4th grade
and hopes to keep writing for another century.
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