The Sunday Poem: “Being Smooth, Jazz, and Chill” by Christopher D. Sims

July 30th, 2023

The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.

Christopher D. Sims reads his poem at its conclusion.

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etching by Keith Mallett

Being Smooth, Jazz, and Chill

Smooth. Jazz. Chill.
Write. Think. Build.
Listen. Vibe. Poetically
design.

Spend time with jazzy
sounds elevating the
mind. Jazz is smooth.
Jazz is chill.

We poets need music,
jazz music, to write about
how we feel, how we relate,
how we contemplate,
how we evaluate

what’s going on in the
world.

I am smooth.
I am jazz.
I am chill.

A spiritual mantra
to help me poetically,
theoretically, reveal
the ways of my writing,
the intricacies of my thinking,
how I go about reasoning.

I must be smooth.

I must be chill.

This is the reality of
living in cities where
Black men like me
are either feared, followed,
or killed.

So I write to remain calm.
I use words as a balm.

I never allow myself to
become alarmed so I
stay alive in the thickness
of North American racial,
political storms.

Our children need
to see our calm, our
children need to learn
our chill.

This is how we last,
this is how we deal,
how we roll, how we
stroll, how we
remain in control.

These words are smooth.
These thoughts are jazz,
are chill.

Just like the music
I am listening to capture
how I think, meditating
on how I feel.

Listen to Christopher D. Sims read his poem

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Christopher D. Sims is a writer of poetry, a spoken word artist, and a human rights activist who uses words to inform. Born and raised on the west side of Rockford, Illinois, he has been writing since he was nine years old. A published poet, Christopher wrote a poetry and memoir collection entitled I was Born and Raised in The Rock in 2020. He is a fellow of the Intercultural Leadership Institute.

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Keith Mallett is an American painter, etcher, and ceramic artist whose subject matter ranges from figurative to abstract. His work has been exhibited worldwide and is featured in corporate and private collections. He has enjoyed considerable success with numerous sold-out limited-edition prints, and was commissioned to craft the official limited-edition print commemorating the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s breakthrough into major league baseball. In 2017 as guest artist, he created the Google doodle celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Keith has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award. His clients include: Simon & Shuster, Random House, Farrar Straus Giroux, Harper Collins, Lee & Low, Charlesbridge, and Bradford Exchange, among others.

Click here to visit his website

Listen to the 2017 recording of saxophonist Kamasi Washington performing “Perspective” [Beggars Group Digital Ltd.]