Fats’ Fingers by hakim bellamy

(after Antoine “Fats” Domino February 26, 1928 - October 24th, 2017)

Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein had fingers so thick that none of them would fit between the black keys. Yet he is reckoned to be one of the best pianists of all time. - Quora

Part of the problem might have been the sheer size of Rubinstein's hands. They were huge, and many observers commented on them. Josef Hofmann observed that Rubinstein's fifth finger "was as thick as my thumb—think of it! Then his fingers were square at the ends, with cushions on them. It was a wonderful hand."Pianist Josef Lhevinne described them as "fat, pudgy ... with fingers so broad at the finger-tips that he often had difficulty in not striking two notes at once." The German piano teacher Ludwig Deppe advised American pianist Amy Fay to watch carefully how Rubinstein struck his chords: "Nothing cramped about him! He spreads his hands as if he were going to take in the universe, and takes them up with the greatest freedom and abandon!” - Wikipedia

Toine,
they could have called you “Anton”
instead.

Even “prodigy”
at 19.

But kids are mean
so “Fats” would have to do.

And it did,
what it do.

After Waller
and Pichon,
but not Rubinstein.

“Fats”
gave us a reason
to think B.I.G.

in a world where
thinking small
is considered
healthy.

Before Fat Joes
and Phat Farms
became Big Puns,

you were
T-bone steaks,
cheese eggs &
Welch’s grapes…

a turntable buffet,
heart disease on wax.

Big sexy
before your first record.

Proof that discipline
and abundance
can inhabit the same
fat ass fingers…

especially the middle one.

And in end,
the joke’s on them.

“Fats”
still the most popular nick-
and baby name in New Orleans,

f#ck “Tiny”

because the sheer size
of your legend
kept you
and the “Big Easy”
anchored in the storm.

But it was your sense
of humor
that kept us alive
this long.

And that’s fortunate,
because like any race music era speakeasy,
heaven is a riddle.

God’s idea of “Password protection”
at the pearly gates,

a sense of humor
he too
has cultivated
from years of people not believing in him…

Gabriel (on trumpet):
"How does a Fat Man get to the gig?
A. He walks.
B. He swims.
C. He Ubers.
D. He Rocks…"

Fats (on piano): "...and Rolls."



PostScript: Even after his success, Antoine Domino continued to live in his old neighborhood in (Lower Ninth Ward). His large home was roomy enough for his 13 children, but he still preferred to sleep in a hammock outside.
© Hakim Bellamy October 25th, 2017