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| Thelonius Monk, 1917 -1982 |
Harvey Nuemis had inherited Nuemis
Mortuary from his father Frederick, passed down the family line since
1869. Life as an up and coming MORTICIAN
in a small town was hell for young Harvey.
Once dirt roads were covered with
BLACKTOP, poor Harvey was INSULTED daily and thrown down by local high school thugs
onto the black streets. Yet Harvey had a
dream.
Harvey pictured himself as a DYNAMIC
JAZZ pianist in the Copa Cabana, wherever that was. Bodyguards surrounded him, pushing back the
throngs who wished to touch him, to INTERFERE with his music.
At every funeral, as Harvey
played funeral hymns on the cheap electric organ, he was playing " 'Round Midnight" in his head, right next to Thelonius Monk.
Oh, Harvey, to be so lucky.
Every Wednesday Delores presents 6 unrelated words and asks participants to create prose, poetry, flash fiction, etc. No date limit. These may be posted in her site comments or in your own post (please link back to Delores). Click on the lonely train tracks in my right sidebar to find the list of participants!
Susan this was so good....
ReplyDeleteWorking with your words is the best work-out a brain can do.
DeleteThat's some pretty cool piano playing.
ReplyDeleteNice write up on the word mix. :)
Your comments are kind, Rosey. I wish my fingers could make the keys work like that.
DeleteBless Harvey for playing the hymns for these grieving folks, and for playing "Around Midnight" in his head during :-)
ReplyDeleteIsn't that a marvelous arrangement?
DeleteA dream like that is a good one to have, keeps one going
ReplyDeleteWhat would we do without our dreams? Seriously?
DeleteLost in his own thoughts while helping
ReplyDeleteSometimes being lost in one's thoughts is the best place to be.
DeleteWow. Very nice playing on the piano, and this is a great post, Susan. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteDeb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com
Writing within 100-200 words is fun for me, as I know it is for you.
DeleteI love that he didn't let his dreams die, or drift away. And the comfort he gets from the music in his head.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Another heart-melting use of the words Delores gave us.
The music in his head is what keeps him going.
DeleteA man with a dream and determination is a strong man, no matter where he comes from. Good for Harvey!
ReplyDeleteHarvey has a chance, because he desires this so much, has endured so much already.
DeleteI love Thelonius Monk - great choice. Have you seen A Great Day in Harlem, the documentary about the famous photograph? I think you'd enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteNo! I have not!! It is one written now on my board of things to watch. That era of jazz musicians was incredible. Will its like ever re-emerge?
DeleteYou had me from the start. Of course, I'm a Theolonius Monk fan, so that helped, but the story was captivating. I wanted more.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I admire your work, and appreciate your comments.
DeleteGreat story, I'm feeling quite sorry for Harvey, getting thrown down onto the streets, playing funeral songs when he'd much rather play something else.
ReplyDeleteSome day, the mortuary will be manned by someone else, and Harvey will be playing in New York, New Orleans...
Delete