i am a buoy of flesh and bones
my soul is cast iron steel
my heart a brass bell

i float and bob atop the morass
of flailing humanity

steeped in fathoms of angst and guilt,
tried and tired from terrible currents
of an endless midnight swim

waves of time rain over my head

through the roar of crashing surf,
and rushing rising tides,
my solemn ring pierces
the misty din to alert
attentive ears

Duke Ellington:
Ring Dem Bells

Charlie Parker
Miles Davis:
Sippin At Bells

jbm
Nantucket, MA
8/90