Sax in a Zone

I saw the nod of the piano-man —
Launched into the written introduction
Of melody & theme weaving practiced notes
Inside and around the bass & percussion’s tempo.
Delightful eight bars — an in-unison quartet
Of Sixties innovation, different time signatures & harmonics.

Oh, to soar. Oh, to float.

There — the prearranged signal, I took off
Eyes closed, climbing away from the background beat,
My thoughts clear, my fingers nimble,
My mouth relaxed, my mind open to the direction
My seeking soul wished me to take,
No longer in the space with the others. My own space,
Creating, new combinations, new heralds of sax ingenuity,
Leaving long remnants of minor scale & harmonics floating behind.

Oh, to soar.  Oh, to float.

Too soon, too soon, called back to the group,
Reluctantly, so reluctantly I came back down
To join the songs’ statement, its finale.
After last note, the sound manager flashed thumbs up.
My four-minute solo captured. The piano-man,
Bassist and drummer held their mouths wide open.

Oh, to soar.  Oh, to float.

_____

Lawrence J. Klumas has written poetry since 1958, and continued writing for his engineering profession — but, most recently re-immersed himself into poetry with a passion.  He has been published in Que sais-je, on-line atJerryJazzMusician, Diocesan Messenger. He contributes a poem weekly to the Fallbrook, CA Episcopal Church newsletter. He has a chapbook submitted for San Diego Book Awards.

He is a retired USAF officer, an engineer, a Viet Nam veteran, and a past Assoc VP Occidental College (Facilities).  He has a BS In Business Administration (with a minor in Literature) from Eastern Nazarene College, and both a BS and MS in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University.