Celebrating Charlie Parker

Etched in Stone

Two ideograms,

a saxophone and

a bird, allow

visitors to

identify your

grave without

reading your name.

Decades after

your casket was

placed here,

people still

flock to pay

their respects,

leaving behind

flowers, charms

or the thoughts

in their hearts.

Some come to play

in your presence.

To fill the air

with music, as

you once did.

To send you

notes that say

your talent has

yet to be eclipsed.

Friday, August 29 marks the 94th anniversary of Charlie Parker's birth. As part of the 2014 Charlie Parker Celebration, there will be a 21-Sax Salute on both Friday, August 29 and Saturday, August 30 at the grave site in Lincoln Cemetery. Go to the KC Jazz Alive website for details about these events and the final events of this year's celebration. Remember, you can always learn more about Charlie Parker by visiting the American Jazz Museum.

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Signs of Fall

Signs of Fall

In the heat of summer,

signs of fall appear.

Yellow buses take

to the streets on

a regular schedule.

Talk of football,

from youth to pro,

fills the air.

Everybody

 wants to be

in the know

about their teams.

Cicadas team their

screams  and create

an accompaniment

for morning walkers.

A sampling of leaves

change color

then fall.

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Here's Your Sign.

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Stained Glass

Stained Glass

Pieces of color

melded together

to form the whole.

Eye-catching

anytime, but

never more than

when the sunlight

streams through.

Fragile beauty

whose loss

 would be

shattering.

I had been looking at some stained glass at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. A few days later, I took some pictures of this butterfly. As I was going through the photographs, it occurred to me that the butterfly looked like it was made out of stained glass. These events inspired the poem.

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Morning Brew

The sound of the typewriter gave me away. Throughout school, I waited until the final hours to write any papers I was assigned and my Mother always heard me typing.

Mom didn't approve of the process. We had the same conversation over and over again. "Why do you wait until the last minute?" I gave the question some thought. Was I practicing for the career I dreamed of as a sportswriter? Did I need the adrenaline rush of a tight deadline to write my best? "I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders. Mom shook her head.

Senior year arrived and I hadn't mended my ways. At the end of the semester, I got up early to finish my last paper. I heard the squeak of the stairs through the click of the keys. Mom was on her way up to my bedroom. She inched the door opened. This time, instead of a reprimand, she brought me a cup of coffee.

Thanks to Kasie Whitener for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Procrastination.

Do you procrastinate when it's time to write?  What's your drink of choice when you write?

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Entwined

Entwined

They started growing separately

both as straight as they could be.

Day by day, the space between

them lessened until they

wrapped around each other,

destined to hold on forever.

Was it neglect that sealed

their fate or were they simply

meant to be together?

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Wishful Thinking

Wishful Thinking

I wish I had such things

as fairy wings and magic wands.

I'd use them to fly above the fray

or wave all the challenges away.

Alas, I cannot cast a spell

to help myself or someone else.

I have only human powers

to survive the tears and fears

that I'll confront throughout the years.

I cannot soar above the fray,

but must face it everyday.

Thanks to Carol Early Cooney for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Fairy Wings.

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Young Man on the Median

Young Man on the Median

Young man on the median

wishes for some shade

while he stands up in

the heat of the day.

He plays a saxophone

that glistens in the sun.

Scales come first then

a new piece is done.

He bends toward the earth

then back to see the sky.

He wonders if his notes

could ever reach that high.

Young man on the median

practices his craft.

He can't imagine how long

his music will last.

You might also like:

KC Jazz Alive Presents A Kansas City Charlie Parker Celebration

American Jazz Museum

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A World of Choices

A World of Choices

Where would you go

to get away,

to take a break,

to breathe more freely?

Would you go to

the mountains and

look down upon

all that surrounds?

Would you go to

the ocean and

look straight ahead,

focused on the horizon?

Would you go to

the forest and

look up at the trees

until you see the sun

through the leaves?

Would you go to

one of the world's wonders

to look upon something

like no other?

Would you go to

somewhere commonplace,

similar to home but

in another space?

Where would you go

to take a break

if you could go

anyplace?

Thanks to Rebecca Barray for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-R&R.

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