Wednesday nights at The Old Jazz
 

Wednesday nights at The Old Jazz,
earnest young expatriates
loosening under the influence
of small Dutch beer and peanuts –
pindas! – the broken cases
littering the table like
chrysalises freshly shed.
How provincial England seemed,
mired in Maggie's furious
dismantling of society –
there was, I swear, then some such thing –
and, from this newly privileged
position, rough and quaint.

The Gypsy Kings on repeat.

Here on this comfortable bridgehead
I lay, imagining sorties
into the friendly interior.
What possibilities of flight, what
excursions into high culture
and the Teutoberg Forest
were not prefigured here
in Dante's tongue?

volare
oh oh
cantare
oh oh oh oh

Hey David, here are my thoughts

Extra points for the Gypsy Kings reference, I was temped to play the Gypsy kings vinyl if my record player was not broken.

It seems like the old jazz refers to the old jazz club in the Netherlands.
I like the imagery of - “pindas! – the broken cases
littering the table like
chrysalises freshly shed.”

Seems to be some cultural differences contrasting England and the Netherlands.
Saying how england is uncultured due to (I’m not very familiar with british news that much )maybe the tabloid culture and things like Princess margaret’s divorce instead of important things?I’m not very familiar with that story.

Second to last stanza seems to be jumping through time?
Humanity can go from barbaric military battles, to flying, to being able to produce high culture things like jazz.
Could be reaching but maye referring to the Anglo dutch wars?
Important defeats - Teutoberg Forest
Contrast between some of the safety and danger words of “comfortable bridgehead”

I don’t know what dante’s tongue is referring to, since there is the mention of roman history maybe with dante’s inferno - Brutus and Cassius were in Satan’s mouth.

Let me know if any of this was close to your original intention.

Thanks, Harry

The Gipsy Kings (one "y" I think?) brings back some memories. I assumed all their stuff was in Spanish but yes the "volare" chorus is Italian and therefore Dante's language. Clever of you to notice.

and for Harry. The reference to Maggie (S1L9), I think is to Margaret Thatcher rather than Princess Margaret. Maggie Thatcher famously said "There is no such thing as society". Grim days.

I agree with Harry that the peanuts hatching out of their chrysalises is a great image. I remember when peanuts came in their shells we used to call them Monkey Nuts.

You lost me with the Teutoberg Forest reference though.

Joe