Black Cat

The stroke of midnight. 
A black cat purrs in the distance,  
Its eyes piercing the darkness.  
The tip of its tail, white. 

The neon sign of the Jazz club  
Flickers.

A taxi pulls up besides the streetlight, and drops off a couple. 
"Keep the change" he tells the driver,  
Who counts off the bills. 

The back door bursts open into the alley. 
Four musicians step out for a break. 
The fifth is busy, 
chatting up a girl inside. 

A lighter clinks shut as they light up their cigarettes. 
A young trumpeter asks his bandleader: 

"Was that what you wanted, Alfred?"