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© Veryl Oakland

Bill Evans, Berkeley, California; April, 1969

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Listening to Bill Evans, June 2020

First
the piano
by itself—
after months of darkness
after a Winter of clouds and wind
after discontent
after lies and lies explaining lies
and prayers
and ice
and rivers forgetting to flow
just sitting there under barges and towboats
just sitting there until God says
and the trees just standing there until God says
and the shrinking city just working there until God says
and the virus running down the hillsides without end until God says
then the sun—
after months of suffering
undresses in front of my window
shy as a colt
and asks for forgiveness

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John Stupp’s third poetry collection Pawleys Island was published in 2017. His manuscript Summer Job won the 2017 Cathy Smith Bowers Poetry Prize and was published in August 2018. A chapbook entitled When Billy Conn Fought Fritzie Zivic was published by Red Flag Poetry in January, 2020.  (From 1975-1985 he worked professionally as a mediocre jazz guitarist).  He lives near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and can be reached via email at [email protected].  

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Photo of Bill Evans is from Jazz in Available Light: Illuminating the Jazz Greats from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, by Veryl Oakland.  The photo is published with the permission of Veryl Oakland.

 

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Listen to Bill Evans play “Remembering the Rain,” from the 1978 album New Conversations

 

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