the outlaw poetry network

Kenny Burrell 1981 | Photo: Mark Weber

WALKING THE DIRT

The dust of towns, flat, lifeless.
Cold winds and red neon’s fill the need
of his searching as he walks the dirt.
A song with flavor branded in his head
and on his arm marches his feet to travel;
all places look the same.
His guitar breathes with sound; a crooked
smile slides from his face.
The jazz releases, calling listeners
to his side.

The next town ain’t that far,
for feet walking the dirt.

John Lee Hooker 1976 | Photo: Mark Weber

UNWRAPPED

Angels flutter in the heads of
his fingers; voices in the strings wrap
the air with the beat of him.
He is constant in jazz.

The wine of his youth reddens the blood
of years spilled in clubs, shed onto crowds
and dusted over cities who love his name.

He absorbs the eyes fixed into the soul of
his speaking. An ocean of faces wave with
a tide of approval.

He reaches into, pulling out a gift;
the greater part of him unwrapped.

Johnny Turner 1977 | Photo: Mark Weber

THAT BRASSY THING

In him
that thing
voiced a noise,
circling, surfacing, beating his
insides until busting out with the
jazz
then rising, filling the air
with his lightening,
pushing brass
into highs and making the lows
cry tears of songs
deep
from wells where he sleeps,
thinking strong with
black fingers,
counting
clouds in darkness
as he wakes in a sweat
of his thoughts
with that thing and the brass
pealing layers
of life away to the core of
himself.

some related articles are listed below:

1. roger singer | with song | the air of her
2. roger singer | walls bow
3. roger singer | 3 poems
4. roger singer | more (jazz) poems
5. roger singer | 3 (more) jazz poems
6. roger singer | she cries of voice
7. roger singer | her gift of words
8. roger singer | separate colors
9. roger singer | listening to angels
10. roger singer | overflowing & blowing horn
11. roger singer | the bank of blues and other poems
12. roger singer | the hurt song & other poems
13. roger singer | a line of strings & other poems
14. roger singer | sorrow song & delta jazz & from her
15. roger singer | pulling at me | brass bound | his jazz
16. roger singer | soaked on jazz | solid wind | with night
17. roger singer | a storm of force & we sing & slide and slap
18. roger singer | fear of loss & inside the horn & teach me the jazz
19. roger singer | 3 [jazz] poems
20. roger singer | ringside | a curious line
21. roger singer | round and round
22. doug draime | walking on the sky over east L.A.
23. todd moore | walking around in the blood