photo entitled: “routine” — by: Tres
He’d snap his shine cloth
tellin’ tales
of long ago
of joy
war
betrayal
pain
injustice
lost love
his Memphis “blues”
harsh wisdom
hard learned
his voice
sorrow tempered
laughter sweetened
broadleaf husky
smooth as Beale Street bourbon
warm eyes
turbulent as Big Muddy
inescapable deep currents
his weathered face
marked and scarred
by years of burden
of witness
he’d once held a woman’s heart
but she’d had it sliced away
leaving a scar
among scars
testaments
to his enduring soul
cracked and seasoned hands
wrap polished leather
in suffered care
callused fingers
yellowed by habit
roll the rhythm rag
pulling the shine
with sweat
spit
blood and bone
wiping away
broken promises
failed love
killing fields
cruel streets
back allies
the poppin’ slaps
resonate
in soulful cadence
lifting my worry
making my steps
feather light
a spit-shine supreme
like no other
will be again
*
rob kistner © 2022
More prosery at: dVerse
More poems at: Poets & Storytellers
GREAT STORY, Rob. Your character study of this hero of life who is able to give solace to others through his moving meditation.
Thank you Lisa. 🙂
Damn, you stretched those 144 words into a sweet and complete ballad. Clever to connect a good shine with the blues itself. Your adjectives pile up a thrilling back story. You never disappoint.
Thank you Glenn. Joni walked me musically down old Beale street this weekend, which opened up this tale for me. I understand Joni’s sentiment in her song, because I walked down Beale Street a few times in the early ‘70’s. You can feel the blues history of the place, the energy and ghosts are palpable. Joni’s “Fury Sings the Blues”, and my memories of the place, sparked this piece.
I love this nostalgic story, Rob. I can seem him there with that chair in your picture. You have captured the persona so very well. Great write, my friend!
Thank you Dwight, really appreciate your kind words.
I love your use of the prompt here. We’ve been listening to quite a bit of Joni recently – what a writer! – I can see why she seeped into your pen. Such an evocative write.
Love love love me my Joni!! Thank you Sarah, it was fun going back to 0ld Beale Street for this one… 🙂 pleased you liked it my friend…
So many moments of feeling, but none greater than the telling grief of that one woman.
Emotional warning — Love gone bad, tormenting pain in the heart.
Luv the rhtym of this story. And the energy of nostalgia as well as pride in work well done.
Happy you dropped by to read mine
Much love…
Thank you Gillena, much love to you my friend… 🙂
Memphis, Beale Street, the blues ~~~ once inside your heart, forever there. I know too …. This is wonderful, Rob.
Thank you Helen! When I lived in Cincinnati We made a few trips go Memphis to listen to the blues. 🙂
Very vivid and revealing imagery.
Glad this impacted you Rommy… 🙂
What a wonderful portrait!
Thank you so much Rosemary… 🙂
Beautiful ballad and perfectly evoked from Joni Mitchell’s song.
I thought we stuck to prose for prosery, but it’s still a beautiful piece of writing, Rob.
Thank you Merril! 🙂 it was prose, but when I whittled it down to 144, it became free verse — and I forgot to relink it into paragraphs.