To the Beat of Jazz Poetry

From bebop, swing to hip-hops thing True poets had it best For there is a rhythm in the soul, Which they all just had to express Some could not control This powerful thing Was so often put to the test It began to dawn coming on strong Within the birth of a thing Called the Harlem Renaissance That jazz, that poetic-jazz, of intense birth Possessing syncopated rhythms And chronic expression of surreal tunes That perfected blend of jazz-poetry Developed into what it is today. Thanks to poets like Carl Dunbar and Langston Hughes That jazz, that jazz, that wonderful poetic-jazz Being bred of pride, lyrical form and grace Transcended cultural barriers Readily accepted in the 1950’s by the humane race Therefore, the mantra had begun to be So freely expressed within poetic lyrics To syncopated beats moving on through the 60’s and 70’s By way of beat poets like Amiri Baraka Returning strong throughout the 70’s and 80’s Thanks to artist like Gil Scott-Heron Oh, snap he was one of the founding fathers Of spoken word poetry known to youngsters Borne to free-styling or hitting the beats On stage or in the streets Yes, you’ve guessed it, most def its rap Re-educating the poet in me, thanks to that thing In which made many a heart sing As these icons did their thing Starting with something called modern day jazz-poetry… Born during the Harlem renaissance and still going strong Comments: I hope that you have enjoyed this free verse tribute to some of the greatest modern day founders of what is known as Jazz-Poetry.