Louis Armstrong …
a class by himself
Not Dixie or Jazz
but much deeper felt

Growing better with age
his music enthralls
If fourteen or forty
his melodies call

Both Ella and Ray
are seated out front
As Satchmo delivers
when others exeunt

Timelessly treasured
he’d broken the mold
Of what sound can measure
—and a smile can hold

(Dreamsleep: December, 2023)