Notes on Jazz

© 14 September 2003, Reginald L. Goodwin
(Inspired by a Kirk Whalum Jazz Concert and mom)


“Little colored boys in berets
“oop pop-a-da
“Horse a fantasy of days
“ool-ya-koo
“and dig all plays.”

“Flatted Fifths,” Langston Hughes, “Selected Poems.”

The night IS a woman…
Calling me into her bosom,

The rhythm beats into
My NAPHESH*,
Sinusoidal waves penetrate
My flesh
Resonating
In the marrow
Of my bones…

Heartbeat
Tones
Droning
My eardrums
Intoning
Ear-gasms
Creating
Spasms
In my spirit.

As I
Hear it,
I bop
My head
And tap
My feet
To an auditory
Treat,
Closing
My eyes to
Sight
Meditating
In the darkness
Of night

As…

The night
IS a woman…

Calling me
Into her bosom.

The prism of light
In the dark night
The entrance
That allowed
The planting of
My seed…
The exit
Episiotomy
From a woman’s
Anatomy
I emerged

To shout
My first
Notes in
UNKNOWN tongues
Before clearing
My throat
To form
Spoken words,
My lungs breath
BLOW
Trumpets
To Heaven,
My JUBAL
Hands stroke
Guitars, violins,
Keyboards,
Synthesizers,
Drums, bongos
And writing pens.

WHAT IS THIS?

It is a
Return to the
Original
Be-bop
Mop, skeetle-wop,
Do-wop
Of life,
Before life
And the affairs
Of this life
Drowned out
Time for
Self-communion
And union
With the
Universe,

When we
Be-bopped
And hip-hopped
In the
Kerr
Spinning
Black hole
Singularity
Throne
Of the
Birth of
Our souls..

Occasionally
Invaded by
Full-color
4-D
Ultrasound
Representations
Of reality,
When we needed
No language
To distinguish
Rhythmic heartbeats
Surrounding

OUR NAPHESH*,
Sinusoidal
Waves penetrating
OUR FLESH,
Resonating in the
Marrow of
OUR developing
Bones,
The tones
Of her
Heart
Distinguishing
OUR universe

--- her womb ---

From a tomb.

Because

JAZZ
….omniscience…

IS a woman

Calling us
Into her
Bosom

Calling us
Into direct
Communion
With her dark,
Infinite essence.

*NAPHESH - Etymology, Hebrew: soul: mind, will, imagination, emotions, intellect. Self-Awareness. "And man became a living soul (NAPHESH), Genesis 2:7

For Mildred D. Goodwin
A Birthday Poem
September 15, 1925 - May 7, 2009.