Poetry by Matthew Rodgers

October 31st, 2011

 

 

 

Chopin: Heroic Polonaise

 

 

It may be all
we’re looking for
It may be as simple
as that. As cramming the
sky into a jar, as catching the
milky way in the palm of your hand
as if just a fly. Breaking free
of time as if Tartalas was
the only realm of light.
Finding the way to
reach deeper inside,
without losing our grasp
taking the flower blossoms with
us away into inexistence. Other skies,
maybe, eternity dispersed, serenity scattered
a false fear of death haunts every cadence.
Let us reintroduce the arrow into
the maze, bring a mirror to
the sea, a ballad and
then we are off into
the silky smooth
fire burning
everything
sweetly.

 

 

Even At the End

 

The old woman sweeps the golden leaves
that have fallen on the streets into the gutter.
Somehow I feel as if she understands them.
Putting them to rest when there will be no one
to do the same for her. I remember once the
boy with a lions smile, who used to laugh at
the sighing trees. I have lost touch with him,
maybe he has turned to gold too. Last I heard
he was with his mother, but that was many
seasons ago, when even I could still recall
the shadows of the Sun. But now, for what?
Sweeping the leaves into the street, when
there is nothing left to do, but make sure
that the ones who have fallen are taken care
of. Hopefully in peace, even though they may
not be seen again, you will know that you
loved them well enough, to see them off,
swaying in the breeze.

 

10-21-11 #2

 

 

The light blue sky speaks to the trees like rain, it says: the sounds that these humans make
hurt my ears, what happened to the songs of the orange groves and their many colored
blossoms? The oaks look up unsure what to say, because they know it would hurt the sky to
tell it what remains. But thinking back on the silence, of the long nights that wax and wane
then bring back again the start of the stars shrouded in the beauty of the clouds to burst
with the first signs of the sun’s rising. What must be in the silence? it is hard to know what
makes no sound. It’s as if it doesn’t exist but perhaps in its in-existence there is something
hidden as if in the depths of the heart. But for now the concern is: how will we survive if the
earth suddenly says no. will it matter if our forefathers died, to the sun, for tomorrow’s
children? Lover — may I ask you a question? which way should I turn? Turn? Turn towards
yourself before you profess that you love.

___________________

 

A Willow

 

I’d say to my dad, it’s the hard part to start,
and he’d say nonsense, you can start anywhere,
and I’d say, yes, but it is hard to choose, and he’d
say, well what about this tree, and I’d say, it is
green, and he’d say, yes it is green, but what
makes it special? and I’d say, it has many leaves
and he’d say, and? and I’d say, and it is winter, and
he’d say so? and I’d say, well most trees shed their
leaves by winter, and he’d say, so what makes this
tree so special? well I’d say, it is green, it has many
leaves, and it is winter. Yes, but what kind of tree
is it? He’d say, and I’d say, I think it is a willow, and
he’d say, so it is tree, that is green, that has many
leaves in the winter, and it is a willow, but what
makes this tree so special? and I’d say well most
willows shed their leaves by the winter but this one
has retained them, yes, true, keep going, he’d say,
so that would make this tree highly suspect, to what
he’d say, to being special, I’d say, and he’d say, but
Why? and I’d say, Why? Why? Why? and he’d say,
yes, Why? and I’d say, it is winter, and it is still
weeping, yes, he’d say, so? — so, I’d say, it must have
a very special heart, and he’d say, yes, a very big heart
to still be weeping in winter, and I’d say, but father, it
is still green when the others are bare, true, he’d say,
it is a very special tree, I’d say, yes, true, my son,
he’d say, otherwise we would not be talking about it.

___________________

 

We Lone Voyagers

 

I knew it.

I knew they’d have me crucified as soon as I told them to stop shopping.
Passing by the page, trudging through words, of sentences hardly linked together,
hoping that by the time you turn the page it will end,
but sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it continues, page after page,
in continual, unbroken sentences. With no end in sight.
Hearing the roar of the seagulls, they are getting louder
and there are more and more of them. Something must be happening.
There are times so delicate, times that hang precariously, upon a loose thread.
I fear that if the Earth were to shake now, we’d be doomed.
Are we just one particle upon the wave, flowing up and down,
side to side never actually touching each other but moving together all the same?
Tell me that love is not an illusion.
That we have not been born, as a mistake to creation.
An accident. The soul urges me on, it says I comprehend,
I perceive, and what I perceive is what I create.
I am confused by Paradox. Folly. Disgrace. Torment.
The collosal butterfly we call the cosmos has enveloped my senses,
lost in its pattern, its beauty is a mathematical equation.

I knew it.

I have dug deep into the Earth, and I told the sky I feel too much.
A receptor overcome by lightning. A splash in the ocean.
A rebirth of the horizon every day. Countless cries. Murmurs. Moans.
The moon whispers on, it says we were born for this, this timelessness,
this silence, as the last puzzle to life’s confusion.
Consciousness has been done.
Inside ourselves
we look away.

 

 

 

Visions of Heaven

 

Here along the promised paradise
golden poppies, velvet lips,
pink dandelions, unstoppable bliss
the moon whispers into my ear
saying ‘its a meadow of flowers’
glorious-triumphant-wonder
the unspeakable love
between the sun and the sea
evolves into us: nature’s sweet folly.
Can it be? that here
surrounded by crystal spheres
we have broken the world
stolen the dawn and ran away
into a deep dark wood
where nothing can be
growing-withering-abandoned dream
leave it alone, don’t worry
we have forgotten the promise
the holy-unbreakable-word
that we are it and nothing more
but forgiveness and sin
a beauty made of stone.

 

 

 

 

Being Beauteous

 

I found beauty all alone
in the night close to my arms
angels whirled through pastures of daisies
and running across the sky
stars shimmered in visions of a virgin dawn
nothing stood but joy’s imperial woods
where no shadow could breach the perpetual flame
I watched the love of youth awake to transformations
the moon was in control nothing felt so pure
and a basket of blue was shared along the threshing floor
where handsome god beckoned me to kiss his hand
and my veil was lifted and I saw through new eyes
I stood among laurel crowds
enveloped by flowers
and silently I awoke
to the dream inflamed.

 

 

Dreaming Mystery

 

 

Strength and Truth that are mine
I dismiss you from Eternity
let fall the Love of the Sky
into the Heart of every man woman and child.
Water that flows through metal lines
do not know the art of flowing
but are directed ambitiously, forcefully (unknowingly?)
to the mouths of the most divine sensation.
(the beast we call ourselves)
Elevated Bliss and carnal Wisdom
remind us of Truth and Beauty.
(they do not exist)
God tried to save the world, I saw him do it
Create the things we most Desire and need
like the clouds, the water, the life
and us, and we, and I, forgot
what the origins story must have looked like.
Run, Run! Into the Night
find out what has happened to the Sun.
Gather around the last created fire
tell us the meaning of the universe.
(it does not exist)

 

 

Invading Time

 

 

 

Annihilated – the solemn beauty of our love.
Can one die yet still survive?
Reappearing perpetually
after every bout with destruction.
All the people I have known
assassinated in the garden of time.
all the things I have seen
disappeared among the floating fog.
I wanted to capture love in a jar
to instill luxurious revolutions of truth
but I was cut down by the rainbows.
Astray I flew – to wander through air.
Misled by the masses
I butchered exotic animals
and passed by enlightened instants of truth.
Several have exploited my world
I have cried with the morning stars.
I have risen with the azure sky.
The tortuous journey was necessary
And now I alone – know the wind’s secret name.

 

 

Pride In Rainbows

 

 

Love Stirs… Shh
I suspect a tale of folly
of preferred bad taste
cardinal doors opened
backdrops of nightmare
but there under a great tree
radical revolutions of the soul
unfashionable at the time
I boasted of having achieved fairytale glory
I invented new forms, recovered wisdom, everything.
But no one understood.
All the arenas were mine.
All wars of poetic expression.
and chased away by the rainbows,
I disappeared
into the bowels of the earth.
but there were too many tears
and delirium overtook me.
I confessed to all the world
that I had discovered eternity
but there were
no words.

Share this:

Your Support is Appreciated

Jerry Jazz Musician has been commercial-free since its inception in 1999. Your generous donation helps it remain that way. Thanks very much for your kind consideration.

Site Archive

In This Issue

photo of Rudy Van Gelder via Blue Note Records
“Rudy Van Gelder: Jazz Music’s Recording Angel” – an essay by Joel Lewis...For over 60 years, the legendary recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder devoted himself to the language of sound. And although he recorded everything from glee clubs to classical music, he was best known for recording jazz – specifically the musicians associated with Blue Note and Prestige records. Joel Lewis writes about his impact on the sound of jazz, and what has become of his Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey studio.

The Sunday Poem

Tom Marcello, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

”“Mingus au Paradis” by Manuel J. Grimaldi


The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.... Manuel J. Grimaldi reads his poem at its conclusion


Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem

Poetry

photo via pickpik.com
And Here We Are: A Post-election Thanksgiving, by Connie Johnson

Short Fiction

Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons/blur effect added
Short Fiction Contest-winning story #67 — “Bluesette,” by Salvatore Difalco...The author’s award-winning story is a semi-satirical mood piece about a heartbroken man in Europe listening to a recording by the harmonica player Toots Thielemans while under the influence of a mind-altering substance.

Interview

Interview with James Kaplan, author of 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool...The esteemed writer tells a vibrant story about the jazz world before, during, and after the 1959 recording of Kind of Blue, and how the album’s three genius musicians came together, played together, and grew together (and often apart) throughout the experience.

Community

Nominations for the Pushcart Prize XLIX...Announcing the six writers nominated for the Pushcart Prize v. XLIX, whose work was published in Jerry Jazz Musician during 2024.

Publisher’s Notes

photo by Rhonda Dorsett
On turning 70, and contemplating the future of Jerry Jazz Musician...

Essay

“Gone Guy: Jazz’s Unsung Dodo Marmarosa,” by Michael Zimecki...The writer remembers the late jazz musician Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa, awarded Esquire Magazine’s New Star Award in 1947, and who critics predicted would dominate the jazz scene for the next 30 years.

Community

Notes on Bob Hecht’s book, Stolen Moments: A Photographer’s Personal Journey...Some thoughts on a new book of photography by frequent Jerry Jazz Musician contributing writer Bob Hecht

Feature

Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two – Vol. 8: “Jazz’s International Influence”...A substantial number of novels and stories with jazz music as a component of the story have been published over the years, and the scholar David J. Rife has written short essay/reviews of them. In this seventh edition of excerpts from his book, Rife writes about jazz novels and short stories that feature stories about jazz music's international influence.

Art

“The Jazz Dive” – the art of Allen Mezquida...The artist's work is inspired by the counterculture music from the 1950s and 60s, resulting in art “that resonates with both eyes and ears.” It is unique and creative and worth a look…

True Jazz Stories

Brianmcmillen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
True Jazz Stories: “Hippie In a Jazz Club” – by Scott Oglesby...The author relates a story that took place in San Francisco's jazz club the Keystone Korner in 1980 that led to his eventual friendship with the jazz greats Sheila Jordan and Mark Murphy…

Book Excerpt

Book Excerpt from Jazz Revolutionary: The Life & Music of Eric Dolphy, by Jonathon Grasse...In this first full biography of Eric Dolphy, Jonathon Grasse examines Dolphy’s friendships and family life, and his timeless musical achievements. The introduction to this outstanding book is published here in its entirety.

Playlist

photo via Wikimedia Commons
“Quartets – Four and No More” – a playlist by Bob Hecht...In his ongoing series, this 25-song playlist focuses on quartets, featuring legends like Miles, MJQ, Monk, Brubeck, and Sonny, but also those led by the likes of Freddie Redd, David Murray, Frank Strozier, and Pepper Adams.

Interview

Interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America...The author talks about his book, an intensely researched, spirited, and beautifully told story – and an important reminder that Armstrong, Ellington, and Basie all defied and overcame racial boundaries “by opening America’s eyes and souls to the magnificence of their music.”

Poetry

John Coltrane, by Martel Chapman
Four poets, four poems…on John Coltrane

Feature

photo of Art Tatum by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 22: “Energy Man, or, God is in the House”...In this edition of an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film, Douglas Cole writes about the genius of Art Tatum. His reading is accompanied by the guitarist Chris Broberg.

Short Fiction

photo by Jes Mugley/CC BY-SA 2.0
“The Dancer’s Walk” – a short story by Franklyn Ajaye...The world-renowned saxophonist Deja Blue grew up a sad, melancholy person who could only express his feelings through his music. When he meets a beautiful woman who sweeps him off his feet, will his reluctance to share his feelings and emotion cost him the love of his life?

Feature

photo of Lionel Hampton by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
Jazz History Quiz #177...This saxophonist’s first important jobs were during the 1940’s with Lionel Hampton (pictured), Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong’s big band, and Billy Eckstine’s Orchestra. Additionally, he was a Savoy Records recording artist as a leader before being an important part of the scene on Los Angeles’ Central Avenue. Who was he?

Poetry

“Revival” © Kent Ambler.
If You Want to Go to Heaven, Follow a Songbird – Mary K O’Melveny’s album of poetry and music...While consuming Mary K O’Melveny’s remarkable work in this digital album of poetry, readings and music, readers will discover that she is moved by the mastery of legendary musicians, the wings of a monarch butterfly, the climate and political crisis, the mysteries of space exploration, and by the freedom of jazz music that can lead to what she calls “the magic of the unknown.” (with art by Kent Ambler)

Interview

The Marvelettes/via Wikimedia Commons
Interview with Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz, authors of But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the 60’s Girl Groups...Little is known of the lives and challenges many of the young Black women who made up the Girl Groups of the ‘60’s faced while performing during an era rife with racism, sexism, and music industry corruption. The authors discuss their book’s mission to provide the artists an opportunity to voice their experiences so crucial to the evolution of popular music.

Short Fiction

photo by The Joker/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
“Second-Hand Squeeze Box” – a short story by Debbie Burke...The story – a short-listed entry in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – explores the intersection of nourishing oneself with music, and finding a soul mate

Art

photo of Johnny Griffin by Giovanni Piesco
The Photographs of Giovanni Piesco: Johnny Griffin and Von Freeman...Beginning in 1990, the noted photographer Giovanni Piesco began taking backstage photographs of many of the great musicians who played in Amsterdam’s Bimhuis, that city’s main jazz venue which is considered one of the finest in the world. Jerry Jazz Musician will occasionally publish portraits of jazz musicians that Giovanni has taken over the years. This edition is of saxophonists Johnny Griffin and Von Freeman, who appeared together at the at Bimhuis on June 25/26, 1999.

Short Fiction

bshafer via FreeImages.com
“And All That Jazz” – a short story by BV Lawson...n this story – a short listed entry in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – a private investigator tries to help a homeless friend after his saxophone is stolen.

Essay

“Like a Girl Saying Yes: The Sound of Bix” – an essay by Malcolm McCollum...The first time Benny Goodman heard Bix Beiderbecke play cornet, he wondered, “My God, what planet, what galaxy, did this guy come from?” What was it about this musician that captivated and astonished so many for so long – and still does?

In Memoriam

Hans Bernhard (Schnobby), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Remembering Joe Pass: Versatile Jazz Guitar Virtuoso” – by Kenneth Parsons...On the 30th anniversary of the guitarist Joe Pass’ death, Kenneth Parsons reminds readers of his brilliant career

Book Excerpt

Book excerpt from Jazz with a Beat: Small Group Swing 1940 – 1960, by Tad Richards

Click here to read more book excerpts published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Community

photo via Picryl.com
“Community Bookshelf” is a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books and/or recordings. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so (March – September, 2024)

Contributing Writers

Click the image to view the writers, poets and artists whose work has been published on Jerry Jazz Musician, and find links to their work

Coming Soon

An interview with Jonathon Grasse, author of Jazz Revolutionary: The Life & Music of Eric Dolphy; An interview with Phil Freeman, author of  In the Brewing Luminous: The Life & Music of Cecil Taylor....A new collection of jazz poetry; a collection of jazz haiku; a new Jazz History Quiz; short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and lots more in the works...

Interview Archive

Ella Fitzgerald/IISG, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Click to view the complete 25-year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Judith Tick on Ella Fitzgerald (pictured),; Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz on the Girl Groups of the 60's; Tad Richards on Small Group Swing; Stephanie Stein Crease on Chick Webb; Brent Hayes Edwards on Henry Threadgill; Richard Koloda on Albert Ayler; Glenn Mott on Stanley Crouch; Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake; Richard Brent Turner on jazz and Islam; Alyn Shipton on the art of jazz; Shawn Levy on the original queens of standup comedy; Travis Atria on the expatriate trumpeter Arthur Briggs; Kitt Shapiro on her life with her mother, Eartha Kitt; Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole; Wayne Enstice on the drummer Dottie Dodgion; the drummer Joe La Barbera on Bill Evans; Philip Clark on Dave Brubeck; Nicholas Buccola on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley; Ricky Riccardi on Louis Armstrong; Dan Morgenstern and Christian Sands on Erroll Garner; Maria Golia on Ornette Coleman.