Madam Bricktop

Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today, Madam.

By: Charles Giuliano - Dec 20, 2015

Madam Bricktop

Then in her 80's
Cabaret singer
From Paris
Hostess of Lost Generation
Madam Bricktop
So named for red hair
Legacy of Irish father
Negro mother
Worked Chitlin Circuit
Theater Owners Booking Circuit
A.K.A to entertainers as
Tough on black asses
Escaped prejudice
Sailed to France
Like Bechet and Baker
Sang Miss Otis Regrets
Slow and articulate
Enunciating lyrics
Cole Porter wrote for her
Rusty pipes
Ancient timbre
Legendary artist
Tall and frail
Elegant moves
That night at
Lulu White's
NOLA's cathouse
In Boston's South End
Still so vivid
Timeless bubbles
Dom Perignon
Life's champagne
So intoxicating
Like 50 CCs of
Paris air
Captured in a flask
By Duchamp
When Dada longed
For Mama
Over There