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West End Blues
I was sitting in Regent's Park with Louie Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles. Ray's dog Blinky was with us, chewing on a bone Ella had brought for him, as we all sat round a square of cloth and a wicker picnic basket, just chilling and shooting the breeze. The silence was only broken by the continuous buzzing of a fly.
"Ah" said Ella, lying back on the grass. "Summertime, and the living is easy."
"Who said that?" replied Ray. "Is there a fly buzzing around my face?"
No, I said, it's Louie making that noise. Louie, stop that, play with the dog.
"Zoo-ba-zoo-ze-zoobie-zoo" said Louie.
Isn't this a lovely day, with blue skies watching over us? The very thought of it all makes me misty. They can't take this away from us.
"Let's go get stoned" said Ray.
"Easy for you to say, your father's rich and your ma is good looking." retorted Ella.
"I love Paris, or Manhattan, but everytime I come to London I end up with the West End blues." bemoaned Louie as Blinky the dog tried to chew on his trumpet.
I wish this park had swings, I said.
"We don't need swings, we've got that lucky old sun. And you, D, you are my sunshine" cooed Ella in that mellow throaty voice that had made her so famous.
Ah but Ella, I sighed, it don't mean a thing if the park ain't got them swings.
May.13.2004