Outside, Inside
sainthood today.
How did you keep your lungs
full of clean air to blow
your horn while masking
something
behind all that smoke?
Mr. Armstrong,
I wish I had known you
had seen you at Newport
that summer of 1970
when you glowed
around the edges, sang out
to heaven above &
audience below,
I wish I had seen you
walking this Earth,
in your body of Grace,
your heart pumping music
that made us all forget
you were human.
The Last Time They Saw Each Other
for Lester Young died March 1959 and
for Lady Day died 4 months later
There was somethin'
about her sideways glance,
the roll of her eyes as he
stood to play his sax solo.
She had been singin' the blues,
yowlin' about how badly her man
had treated her
and there was just somethin'
in the curve of her smile
as he stood to play
that said,
"It may have been 20 years ago but,
man, I still remember the night
I wrote this song to you."
And after the set
they stood together
spark of hand in hand
speaking in smile tones
and there was just somethin'
in the tilt of her head
lookin' up at this tall man
watchin' the words play
from his mouth
somethin' in their faces that said
it was just 20 short years ago,
but it was one hell of a long lifetime ago.
Haiku For Louie
modest house in Queens
he needed no luxury
his was no-frills jazz
Tanka for Duke
18 maniacs
drink, brawl, prowl on Duke's tour
and some land in jail
Don't matter to Duke
just post bail and play!
When you discover the whining starting or just work that you are very unsatisfied with, maybe just maybe, it's time to go outside yourself in order to spark the real story of what's happening inside you. Read on, read strong, my friends! :)
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