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Thursday, August 28, 2014

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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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

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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Thursday, August 21, 2014

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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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

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.


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

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Thursday, August 14, 2014

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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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

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.


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Thursday, August 7, 2014

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.


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Tuesday, August 5, 2014

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?


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