PENHEAD PRESS CHALLENGE: #1 Two Lines + 111 Words – by Jennifer Roush

 

The Jazz Trumpeteer

Cheeks of pink, eyes of blue
I loved the jazz trumpeteer.
A gentleman; always in tune.

Never drained spit on a peer.

Takes my hand, asks, “hey Jen!
Go out with me today?”
“We can hide, we can seek.

Practice all day in the caves”

“Here’re my friends”, gleefully
Strange, the looks on their faces.
Try to run, try to flee

In my head I win these races.

All his friends took their turns
What they did wasn’t just jerking
I shift my butt, it still burns

But nothing’ll stop their circling.

Day the next, in the class
I play every drop of fear.
He, speechless, I “goodbye”

Motherfucking jazz trumpeteer.

Copyright © 2014 by Jennifer Roush

 

In this particular piece, the author, Jennifer combined 2 Lines with the 111 words of anything goes. Notice how cleverly she wove the prompt lines “the girl shifts her buttock, but they keep circling,” in her narrative. Her use of crass language is reminiscent of the author of those two lines, Charles Bukowski. All in all, good work for a few minutes of time.