The Songbook of Benny Lament

by Amy Harmon

She was bold. She was beautiful. But she was terrible at persuasion.

And I was in love with Esther Mine.

But eventually you’re going to want to hear this, so it might as well be now.”

“She said if you want people to change, you have to show them what it looks like.”

But Pop had said, “Make yourselves so big they can’t snuff you out.” We had a window and momentum, and I was going to take it.

They echoed a history I could not change and a reality I could not fix.

“Who needs the mob when you’re in the Top 40 Club?” The Top 40 didn’t have machine guns and politicians in their pockets, but I didn’t say anything.

Good hell, what a train wreck.

“You got more?” he asked, his voice gravelly. “I think we’re done,” I said, clearing my throat in commiseration. “Well, we’ve heard enough,” Berry said. “We’ve heard more than enough. We just didn’t want it to end.”