The Lady In The Hat
Poet : Moe Phillips
Narration : Namakula Nasejje Musoke
Audio : Ian Phillips
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I saw her as she crossed the street.
Scarlet heels hugged slender feet.
On her head, tipped to the right,
was perched a hat as black as night.
She balanced it as best she could.
Till a wind arrived to do no good.
It tickled across the fabric's brim,
wiggled up, beneath the rim.
Both hands flew up, to save her hat.
The wind was having none of that.
Hat went tumbling through the air!
Thank goodness she'd done her hair.
Off she dashed in a frantic chase.
The wind the winner in this race.
Surrendering at the corner light,
she teetered hatless out of sight.
Featured on the dirigible balloon
Backstory
Sitting at my desk one day at work, (Boo work) I looked up and saw a silhouette print of Audrey Hepburn as Truman Capote’s famous Holly Golightly. That hat perched just so on her head and those spiked heels on her lady like feet. I wrote the poem in just a few minutes- mostly. When the three of us discussed it, we all came to the table with the same idea- a jazz club. Namakula went off and worked her magic at the mike. We had pulled a music track to get her in the mood and did she ever. Ian added in all the jazz club sounds. Namakula’s heels tapping across the stage to the microphone. The clink and clank of drinks getting passed around. My favorite addition was the “tap, tap,” on the mike head. Every time I listen to it, I still wonder-did we record that live in a smokey jazz club somewhere? If not, we should.