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The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.
Laura Trigg reads her poem at its conclusion.
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photo by Christopher Losberger/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
David Sanborn, with Miles Davis; July, 1986
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David Sanborn (1945-2024)
He was born too early
for a shot or magical sugar cube
that could have prevented
the polio virus that found him
at the age of three.
He was sentenced for part of his childhood
to the prison of an iron lung
and was left with impaired breathing
and a shortened left arm.
While ill, he was introduced
by his buzzing bedroom radio
to the tunes of rock and roll
and the beat of rhythm and blues.
At eleven, he took up the saxophone
when doctors recommended
a wind instrument
to strengthen chest muscles.
By fourteen, he was playing
in local blues clubs,
and he continued blowing that horn
until cancer silenced him
with gigs still left on his calendar.
Music as breath.
Breath as music.
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Listen to Laura Trigg read her poem
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Laura Trigg is a retired physician currently living in Missouri and enjoying caring for her grandchildren while their parents work. A writer since childhood, she has had poems published in several journals, including Encore, Delta Poetry Review, Medicine and Meaning, Months to
Years, and Jerry Jazz Musician.
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Listen to the 1991 recording of David Sanborn performing Marcus Miller’s composition “Dukes and Counts,” with Sanborn (alto saxophone); Mulgrew Miller (piano); Marcus Miller (bass); Jack DeJohnette (drums). [Rhino/Atlantic]
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Click for:
More poetry on Jerry Jazz Musician
“Bluesette,” Salvatore Difalco’s winning story in the 67th Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest
More short fiction on Jerry Jazz Musician
Information about how to submit your poetry or short fiction
Subscribe to the (free) Jerry Jazz Musician quarterly newsletter
Helping to support the ongoing publication of Jerry Jazz Musician, and to keep it commercial-free (thank you!)
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Jerry Jazz Musician…human produced since 1999
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