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Brent Kincaid Feb 2016
In old New Orleans
Musical lumberjacks
Legitimizing their axes;
Just piano, clarinet,
Bass and the drums.
Bringing jazz back
And then some.

The cat could play
That skinny long black horn,
Hotter clarinet than
Anybody ever born,
He kept hitting notes
So pure and high
We felt each note
In our eyes!

And, if you chance by
Remember this,
They don’t allow dancing.
But when the drummer
Makes works those skins
And makes them talk out
There is plenty of toe-tapping
And nobody ever walks out.

Then, when the guy
Plays that bass fiddle
He adds an underscore
To top bottom and middle.
It’s an underbeat of grace
That will fill the rest space
And the hearts of all
In this overcrowded place.

Vintage jazz roars out
Of an old, old piano
Played by a happy madman
With fingers afire, he knows
He’s got them hooked;
He’s making them wild
As he wails on those keys
He looks out and smiles
And he puts the Satchmo touch
On those old-timey songs

And once in a while
They ask us to sing along.
For the past forty-six years
Those ugly plastered walls
Have never hear so many
Gratefully rendered curtain calls
From an audience of clerks and swells.
On Bourbon Street’s Fritzel’s.
Through hurricanes and beers
Like stepping back a hundred years.
Fats is still playing, Bessie singing
Original jazz music is still swinging.
Wk kortas Apr 2017
He is in his rooms in the Kenmore Hotel,
Once-gracious lady favored by the ancient city’s elite,
Now tired old harlot patching and spackling with powders and rouges
In a vain attempt to camouflage the slide toward oblivion,
Only fit for unwitting out-of-towners
And those with short-term business transactions to ply
(He stays there out of nostalgia, perhaps,
Or possibly because they’d let him through the door without question
Back when that was far from a given,
Or maybe because it was the trumpet players’ place,
The story being that Bunny Berigan had once left a horn
As payment for an outlandish and fabulously overdue bar tab.)
He is holding court with a local features writer,
Another interview in another town,
(Ostensibly a one-on-one sit-down,
But his suite more like Sears the weekend before Christmas:
Band members doing walk-through warm-ups,
Friends old and new darting in and out,
Lucille frantically mother-henning the whole process)
Juggling many hats as he speaks,
Part-time salesman for semi-herbal quasi-diet aids,
Mirthful mangler of malapropos,
All rolling forth with with an air of street-level entrepreneurship,
But there is a more stolid, settled quality about him now,
The assumption of the mantle of icon
(Bestowed upon him by a continent
Far from his birth, but still)
And the time comes for him to begin the warm-up,
Starting with a high note here, a low note there,
Until he finds one note, that note,
A thing not constrained by lead sheets, acoustics,
Indeed any human construct at all.
On the street outside, two young men,
All stingy brimmed hats, narrow ties,
And not-quite top-line silk mohair suits
(Flipped in and out of the pawn shop
Any number of times, but still)
Shoes shined to a military gleam,
Walking with a gait which implies
That they are hustlers, yes,
But men of substance, nonetheless.
One of them hears the note,
And wonders aloud,
Man, who’s got a horn like that
Around this neighborhood?

(Neither of them deign to look up toward the hotel,
As, for them, threat and opportunity
Is something that exists strictly at street-level)
But his partner grunts dismissively,
Never even breaking stride,
Man, just some old **** fool
Playin’ some old tom’s records
.
Geno Cattouse Dec 2013
Vacay in a piano case.bathtub

ginn.pin stripes and fedoras.

Canadian club.speaks easy at the cotton club.
moonshine met primtime.

Blues came north and jazzed up New York
SATCHMO opened eyes. Chi towns tommy gun law.
sheen gun Kelly with a belly gun as chaser.
Granny flapped in the roaring 20s.
Then
1929
Went
Pop
And the party stopped.

LAST CALL FOR ALCOHOL.
Edward Laine May 2012
All the trees with polythene leaves like ghosties trapped in branches.

Dancing drunk with headphones on//& you are the taste in my mouth.

My only ambition is to one day, some how, if only for a moment, be completely angelic.

I dreamt that my eye lids were reflective thoughts on the balcony.

I guess it just boils down to one final rule - EVERYBODY HAS GOT TO **** SOMETHING.

Walking home with Satchmo.

It’s never too late, fall down the stairs.

If I had a car I wouldn’t have to pay rent.

The lights on the buildings shut off when they see me coming.

Walk by the river until there’s blood in my shoes.

You dress like a jumble sale & hide your teeth when you smile.

Two left feet & two right shoes.

Go outside. Drink if you want to - (HM).
November 4th

The weather it seems, seems time to put on your coat,
but the way the wind blows,
a way nobody knows
will have you put your coats away,
but as the weathermen say:
”we’ll be delivered from the heat by snow this Thursday.”

Satchmo Bukowski
wants a bottle in front of me
not a frontal lobotomy.
What’s it to stop drinking?
smoking, though—it’s the best season
for it. Rather die than give up.

Yeah, my ****’s distorted, same with my story
that I tell you now, but it lives each day twice—
but like Christ down the mountain
I come forth emblazoned,
no more reckless nor hopeful than him.

Halloween here, we saw the dead dress up.
We pulled together costumes
while estimating the temperature.
As the day shortens
and night falls as you clock out,
so our phase of experience does;
so the creatures of dark troll;
so the climb though the black berry patch
becomes the only visible path.
Victor Tripp Dec 2015
Born into the world as Louis Armstrong , he was called "pops'' in jazz
Circles  or Satchmo when he picked up his trumpet on the Ed Sullivan  Show  and London heard the black and blue notes
Notes sounded in Copenhagon too
Sadness was turned into joy every time he blew
Notes higher and higher in tune
And each one spanked like a bad boy
Even Bourbon street picked up Louie's sweet vibe
Tis the seasons, find something to believe in,
Everyday new grieving,
Hard to be on the receiving in,
Money is the ultimate ambition x2


Manifested knowledge, without putting work through college,
Check my collage, philosophy of agony, y'all probably,
Ain't really feeling me, cuz my bars ain't about gun bars,
I'm all about ours, self respect over the tech, position my intellect,
Universal mind control, I sealed my soul, got more soul than Satchmo,
As the horns blow, melodies bleeding from
Heavens symphony,
Hell ain't too far behind, I been a pinhead since I was breed,
Into this unit of flesh, this is just a test, so how can I manifest,
Ingest the hungers of pain, in my brain on the edge of the insane,
Melanin seeds, yes indeed, I only put positive thoughts,
To intrigue the souls of people, yo
I give em what they need,
Backed off reality, took a look at my own
Autobiography,
Paper and pen, I write it properly, locked into
This earths prison property,
And I still shed, tears from my baby, though she long away and gone,
I still vibe off that old song, dancing and everyday romancing,
At night, I peep the stars glistening, close my mind to listen,
Deep within, I see the spoils of sins, can't break the imminent vision,
Of prophecies, written on a scroll, my soul feels of the old, rock and roll,
This is the wake up show, wear we seize hate and let the love grow, Yo






Gazing off into space, tryna find a pace
In this everyday rat race,
But that ain't the case, folks love to stick ya
Like paste then waste,
Ya feelings onto the streets, my soul can't even speak no more,
Wonder why we at war, with each other for, either rich or poor,
I sit on the surface core, to explore, new life of meaning in between,
No hate can intervene and, peeling,
Back the layers of time,
Still gotta get mines, no time to let chaos
In my mind, as I grind,
New version of sunshine, no lights flickering
From one time,
Or brothers to drops gems on a dime, still got hopes in mankind,
If we just peeped, the seven signs, cities of many golden hills,
Sway from the shills, and the government wheels, that roll on,
Like the band that plays on,
Different dance new beat, that you can hum along, the weak or strong,
Still feel the high off the seventies strung, and all madness that rung,
Fifty years later, still ain't feeling greater, seems more evil caters,
To good men no pretend, still stuck on false
Dividends,
Lyrical contortionist, the arsonist, hard for y'all to part from this,
Digest this feel, in ya soul like soul food, laying out smooth grooves,


Tis the seasons, find something to believe in,
Everyday new grieving,
Hard to be on the receiving in,
Money is the ultimate ambition x2
I got the magic touch,
that's shift like a clutch,
No automatic,
Only to my foes who cause static,
Rap fanatic,
Since day one, since my birth some,
Spiritual ****,
Dawned on me from adolescence,
To adulthood,
I was misunderstood, as a kid still tryna
Find me a gig,
I can stick to, dusted off the sadness,
Pioneered summer madness,
Potency too high, to pass this,
Love the girlies with the fat *****,
Peep the classics,
As I make like a biblical Ecclesiastic,
I'm Thomas times two,
Black version of Sun Tzu,
If you ain't feeling me,
I got heat that'll feel you,
Thrill you,
Michael Jackson of this rap game,
But no R and B ****,
From hell to the heavens feel this,
Grill this,
One to ya dome, til I touch
The funeral home,
I sit like Hermes all alone, on the high
And almighty throne,
God gave me this curse, but why, make a blessing
Out of the worse,
Never chased the thirst,
I get a ****** healing, from the old Egyptian goddesses appearin',
Over my flesh, in the form of a ghost, telling me I'm the closest to host,
Next to God's of the Olympus rougher than
The streets of Memphis,
But ain't no Kingin' me ****, watch fo the Jesse's around me,
Cuz ya closest friends to thee,
Be ya main enemy,
Check the
Caesar to Brutus analogy,
Old age philosophy, sorry but no apology,
My manhood confronts me,
True masculinity in the,
Face of the media hate me well,
But I was made tough, so
It's hard to crack this shell,






Yo Nas closed the session,
Well let me re-open the session,
Count the blessin',
That I've been givin', minus the stressin',
Mics I'm testin',
MC lyte type chicks, too my left
And my right,
Played Poor George hype, watch for the verbs, when I snipe,
Steel mosquito too many shots of Cuervo,
Reformed my circle,
Expose those, tryna sink my vessel,
Coffin seats, when I
Ride in the caddy or the linc,
Open ya eyes, but don't blink,
Or ya might miss, a witness
Of my magnificence,
Something for ya soul,
To replenish this,
Never held my hand on the bible,
Only nines three eighty's and my rifles,
Despiteful,
Haters love to leech a spoonful,
Of greed,
cut off the ties, and watch em bleed,
John Wick tactics,
Reflexes like a cat flip, change the plays
Of the script,
The world ain't yours, if hells on earth,
Never done, with the spiritual chores,
Got a few scars,
Bench presses chest cut tight, and pull ups
On the bars,
Aiyo, I aim pass the stars, yo I'm serious, dogon knowledge,
Got me feelin' superior,
Hotter than the heat, that shines
On your interior,
Make foes inferior,
Black faces taking over the races,
Check the history trigger,
Blast from the past,
Spin chaos like Taz, old school Satchmo
Razzmatazz, spaz,
Over beats like this, plus the ice is crisp,
Like the drink in my cup,
Keep ya Hennessy up,
Silence the corrupt, once I step on the scene, I focused on points,
Instead of cream,
Follow ya dream, dish the team, silencers
Scoped for the beams,
Laser eye fly guy, sound the thunder, watch me the god, appear from the skies,
Ken Pepiton Aug 2021
Some stories come with songs,
some waltz in a lone, strange peace,
with surface tension
signaling

something jes'wentwright, mmhmm
wrought by god,
twang taut copper wire whisting
twing crash
shards of ceramic insulation, change
of situation
- we were running stone to stone
suddenly,
the girl, it was a girl, kicked a stone
she oughta stepped on and moved on,
but
she stepped out of line, so now,
she limps,
no need for me to tell her, once more,
there is always a place to put your foot,
- too long the blame, how long the shame?

a messenger on the barefoot road knows,
some songs are for the journey joy,
some are for home come joy,
some are for always joy.
some are for once.
For me.
It ain't easy. But there's plants. Listen.
Listen,
as a mortal message, Hear this,
does not remove the power
in the word, read.

gulpunctuated inequilibrium'n al alaq
don't choke
this is no joke…
Had the most famous hearer of that message,
"READ"
obeyed, what a wonderfilled world might this be,
eh, Satchmo?
watchawatcha wa wah
shooobeepshaboom shake it all shake it all

whata wonder full world we see….

see the shelter fade… words as ash remain,
to remind me of the wrightminder
just burned on this point.

For a story that wished to be poetry, just once
more.
Freedom of the press belongs to the press owner, according to B. Franklin and W. Blake... an adage easier to prove these days. No lie.

— The End —