the Night of the Big Hair Ball
By Kay Huck and Beverly Martin
‘Twas the night of the Hair Ball, and all down the Hall,
Every queen was primping with goods from the Mall.
The books were stacked on the tables with care,
In hopes that authors soon would be there.
The Pulpwood Queens wore tiaras and threads,
While visions of best sellers danced in their heads.
So T-Guys and Queens entered the Hall
to party all night at the Big Hair Ball.
When up on the stage in the spotlight’s glow,
Queen Kathy arrived with authors in tow.
Away to the front row I made a quick dash
To see all the authors before they got smashed.
The Bob Kat Review as all of you know
Gives rise to such laughter, we fall on the flo’
Then, what to my wondering eyes came so near,
But a handsome Jay Bird revered by his peers.
With her little ole hubby, so bouncy and quick,
I knew Kathy Patrick was up to a trick.
Faster than eagles more authors came
As she whistled and shouted and called them by name.
“Now Casey, now Conroy, now River, and Flagg,
On Hudler, on Malcolm, on Robert, and Bragg.
To the New York Times! To the top of the list
Now Jamie! Now Janis! Now Jenny and Gist! ”
As bright tiaras before the Hair Ball Shine,
If they slip to the side, all is still fine.
So up to the front, the queens all did strut
With costumes in order, we all must be nuts!
And, then, in a twinkling, I saw at the door
More people, more people, more people, more.
As I stood up and was turning around
Through the crowd came Ms. Claus, red up and down.
Dressed up like Christmas – was our Queen Kay,
Her clothes were all perfect, she chose them that way.
A bundle of books she had flung on her back,
She looked so jolly and then her back cracked.
Her eyes – how they sparkled! Her dimples so merry!
She didn’t walk straight, she had sampled the berry!
She opened her mouth and started to speak,
But all that came out was a tipsyish squeak.
She held the mike tight in her hand
Wanting to sing with the Jay Bird band.
The music encircled her head like a wreath
And played so loud, it hurt our teeth.
She took a branch of red berry holly
And directed the band, by gosh and by golly!
She was a focused and confident elf,
I clapped at her antics in spite of myself.
A wink of her eye and a twist of her head,
Soon gave me to know I had something to dread.
She spoke and she sang, almost on key,
She spread good cheer for the whole company.
Sharing the stage were her sisters in crime,
We all sang her back up in three-quarter time.
She snapped her fingers and gave us a whistle
From the stage we all fled like the down on a thistle.
But I heard her exclaim, ere she whirled out of sight,
“Happy Reading to all,
and to all a good-night.”
Presented to Kathy Patrick and Robert LeLeux at Girlfriend Weekend 2011
