When Memphis Minnie
Strapped on her electric axe
While wearing a sequined gown
She could compete with the boys
In any bar
Pistol packing, knife wielding
Minnie
That’s how she handled herself
In the raucous gin joints
In the smoking, noisy,
Wildly crusty cabarets
Her combo played their moody
Piano and drum tom tom.
Slide Minnie, slide
Up and down the twelve bar blues
Sing to us about your horn
Blowing Ex-Husband
Sad separations, lovers gone missing
Out of money and down on luck.
Belt it out Minnie
In Honky-tonk Chicago town
With your steel guitar howling
In the background
Because all God’s children
Need love.

Iris Berman is a poet, photographer, and painter living in NYC. She has a BA from Goddard College where she studied with Louise Gluck, among others. She is the author of two chapbooks, "The Little Book of Flowers" and "The Little Book of Fairy Tales and Love Poems," published by Poets Wear Prada Press. Her work has been nominated for The Pushcart Prize and has been a featured reader at many poetry venues in the NYC area.