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“Billie Holiday” by Steve Dalachinsky

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Billie Holiday

someone’s special greatness hides inside us somewhere
like a strange fruit……..unexplainable
hard ripe rotten..fine..fractured but mellow
filled with love…disappointment & solitude
& heavy like…a rock in one’s heart

you may make it
or you may die in your room
overlooking the park….or an empty..bench
you may burn for a brief moment
like a candle
then melt away
or drop like the petals of a big white gardenia

& for now & always
the lady sings the blues –
still sings those stone-throated songs
those melodies of a long short life
she’s there somewhere
that twisted beautiful tortured soul
a musical literacy beyond the notes

in there..somewhere
whether you see it or not
inside somewhere
where someone’s special greatness
sings a deep deep song
somewhere deep inside
a deep deep song

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by Steve Dalachinsky

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7/17/67 – Berkeley, California

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Steve Dalachinsky is a New York downtown poet. He is active in the poetry, music, art, and free jazz scene. Dalachinsky’s main influences are the Beats, William Blake, The Odyssey, obsession, socio-political angst, human disappointment, music (especially Jazz), and visual art with leanings toward abstraction. Dalachinsky’s books include A Superintendent’s Eyes (Hozomeen Press 2000), his PEN Award Winning book The Final Nite & Other Poems: Complete Notes From A Charles Gayle Notebook 1987-2006 (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2006), a compendium of poetry written while watching saxophonist Charles Gayle perform throughout New York City in that time period, and Logos and Language, co-authored with pianist Matthew Shipp (RogueArt 2008) and Reaching Into The Unknown, a collaboration with French photographer Jacques Bisceglia (RogueArt 2009).

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For a complete biography, visit his Wikipedia page.

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Steve Dalachinsky has created many collages in honor of jazz music and musicians, as well as countless others that are not music-themed.  Select collages (accompanied by his poetry) will be published in ensuing issues of Jerry Jazz Musician.

These collages are for sale (and are inexpensive).  If you wish to inquire about their availability, you can contact Steve via email at [email protected]

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