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photo of Benny Goodman, 1946, by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress

 

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Licorice Stick

My parents had this big Crosley
and a stack of albums —
Goodman, the Dorsey Brothers —
and some nights I’d get up from bed
and peek into the living room
where my mother and father
slowly waltzed in place.

Rummaging through a closet one day,
I found, under bags of old clothes,
a long and narrow case
and inside, cradled on black velvet,
a sort of tube, black and slender,
with silver rings and levers —
an instrument I had never seen.

“Licorice stick,” my father said.
“Clarinet. Used to play —
but that was long ago.”
He rolled it ‘round in his hands,
set it back in its case,
tucked the case under his arm.
“No more, though,” he said.

A few nights later,
I woke to a melody,
sad and melancholy,
that seemed to float
in the air — and tip-toed
from my room to watch
my parents dance.

The lights were off
and the room was empty
but for my father’s profile,
standing by the window,
eyes closed, blowing notes
that caressed the night

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Russell duPont is an artist and an author whose artwork is included in a number of public and private collections. He has published two novels, King & Train and Waiting for the Turk; two books of poetry; and two non-fiction chapbooks. His essay, “The Corner,” is included in the anthology Streets of Echoes. His work has been published in various newspapers and literary magazines. He was the founder & publisher of the literary magazine,.the albatross.

Visit his website by clicking here

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Listen to the 1935 recording of the Benny Goodman Trio (Goodman, clarinet; Teddy Wilson, piano; Gene Krupa, drums) play “Body and Soul” [Columbia/Legacy]

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