Blues for Beginners by Howie Good

It’s summer, a bloody ax seen sunbathing. A man in line for Acoustic Kitty holds an umbrella over his head despite the cloudless weather. “Ticket,” the ticket-taker says. Ushers must wear white shirts and black pants and stay for the entire show, just as a painting isn’t considered finished until it’s been sold. The opening act entails Priscilla the Fastidious Pig doing things like vacuuming. To shock audiences is to connect. You have the right to sing the blues only if you’re blind or ever shot a man in Memphis.