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

Marianne Peel reads her poem at its conclusion.

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“Dance of Passion,” by Corey Barksdale

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Po’ Monkey’s Juke Joint: Merigold, Mississippi

Shrouded in smoke and cigarette spheres
Jazzy speakeasy on a summer slog of a night

Where hips ramble in tandem,
Slide and slip in an out of rhythm

Juke Joint shifting with an uneven floor
Naked feet shuffling and colliding

Shoulders sloping and shrugging
The juice of the jazz in funkified fedoras

Waterfall ravishment in the smooth slide of the trombone
Jam of indulgence, a tenor saxophone cadenza

A chromatic scale gone berserk
Discordant jive squirming in our bellies

Pull me in close, Jitterbug of Jazz
Jubilee, swing and turn, on a juicy July night

Your hand juke jiving on the small of my back
In this ecstasy riff of a dive

Where we all glide to the offbeat
Where we all speakeasy

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Listen to Marianne Peel read her poem

 

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After having taught middle and high school English for 32 years, Marianne Peel is now nurturing her own creative spirit. She has spent three summers in Guizhou Province, teaching best practices to teachers in China. She received Fulbright-Hays Awards to Nepal (2003) and Turkey (2009). Marianne participated in Marge Piercy’s Juried Intensive Poetry Workshop (2016). Marianne’s poetry appears in Muddy River Poetry Review, Belle Reve Literary Journal, Jelly Bucket Journal, among others. Marianne is also a veteran musician, playing flute/sax and singing in various orchestras, bands, choirs, and jazz bands her whole life. She has a collection of poetry forthcoming from Shadelandhouse Modern Press.

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A prolific artist, Corey Barksdale’s fine art subject matter ranges from human figures in non-objective abstracts.  In recent years, he has concentrated his talents on themes that portray the love and strength that exists within the African American community.  His paintings grace the covers of books, magazine, CD covers, posters, and murals.  Among his convictions is to give back to his community through arts education.

To view a complete selection of his work, please pay a visit to his website by clicking here.

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Listen to Cab Calloway perform “Jitterbug” [Legacy].

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Click here to read The Sunday Poem

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