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The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.
Holly Peppe reads her poem at its conclusion.
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painting by Keith Mallett
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Down Jazz
Prisms resound, glow dissonant—
refracted word-dyes salvaged from malaise.
A bleeding swatch of rainbow,
cordless stains on muslin,
stacks of frightened tightropes,
my slippers thin and worn –
in tiny ribs of warning,
bits of ruined thread
disguise the floor.
Unfocused noise swirls resonant,
A mesh of blur and judgement—
bloodless prisms
edged alive with fear.
Unnerved by specks of soiled hope,
losing touch and balance,
I clutch a rippled strand
of severed air.
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Listen to Holly Peppe read her poem
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Holly Peppe—author, poet, occasional songwriter and literary executor for the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, has published in several genres including critical essays about Millay’s life and work for Penguin Classics and Yale University Press. She also co-authored two Scholastic books for young adults about Barrington Irving, the first Black pilot and youngest aviator to fly solo around the world, and Mum’s the Word, a memoir about Eve Branson, mother of Richard Branson, the colorful British entrepreneur. She recently released an anti-bullying book for children, Sophie and the Swans, and will soon publish a book of her poems, An Absence of Fear.
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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
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Listen to the 1991 recording of Shirley Horn performing “You Won’t Forget Me” (with Miles Davis on trumpet). [Universal Music Group]
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Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem
Click here to read “A Collection of Jazz Poetry – Spring/Summer, 2024 Edition”
Click here to read “Not From Around Here,” Jeff Dingler’s winning story in the 66th Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest
Click here for information about how to submit your poetry or short fiction
Click here to subscribe to the (free) Jerry Jazz Musician quarterly newsletter
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Click here to help 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 (and AI-free) since 1999
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Holly Peppe’s Jazz Down poem: like a Monk chord, like a Rollins sob/riff — a word song in praise of the strength & bravery of jazz!