Hey man
ya’eva
feel the hit-bottom bass
of my spruce-wooden upright
while’ya
weep’n with the wound steel
strung ‘cross the sound holes
of this here
righteous holla’body
ya’eva
ache to d’blues-bent reed
of a lush broke-heart sax
ya’eva
burn to the brush’s sear
d’sizzle’n’spank o’taut-skin snare
ya’eva
sob to the surrender’n’sustain
of an ivory key’d ebony
d’ya know me
man
I’m jazz
I’m blues
hear me
I’m celebration n’sorrow
tears n’understandin’
pain n’escape
I’m
razor’s edge real
workin’ the shadows
at the light’s blur edge
that pools in the night
in a wounded whiskey joint
on the bleak back streets
of the sad brokenhearted
I play to the anguish
of the loveless who cower
in the dark nightmare alleys
of the lost n’forgotten
I play to the grief
of the sinners who moan
alone in their heartbreak
in the ruins of love
I play to the last chance
of those loosin’ hope
hey man
hey
ya’eva needin’
I play f’giveness
Charles Mingus
*
rob kistner © 2022
Poetry at: The Sunday Muse
Poetry at: Poets & Storytellers
Poetry at: earthweal
~ Joni about Mingus ~
He is three
One’s in the middle unmoved
Waiting
To show what he sees
To the other two
To the one attacking so afraid
And the one that keeps trying to love and trust
And getting himself betrayed
In the plan — oh
The divine plan
God must be a boogie man!
One’s so sweet
So openly loving and gentle
He lets people in
To his innermost sacred temple
Blind faith to care
Blind rage to kill
Why’d he let them talk him down
To cheap work and cheap thrills
In the plan — oh
The insulting plan
God must be a boogie man!
Which would it be
Mingus one or two or three
Which one do you think he’d want the world to see
Well world opinion’s not a lot of help
When a man’s only trying to find out
How to feel about himself
In the plan — oh
The cock-eyed plan
God must be a boogie man!
Mingus — he is three!