Best Louis Armstrong Poems
Late to the party we arrived at seven
At least we showed up before eleven
Sweet Ginette, joined us both at the door
A bottle in my hand ready to pour
Off to the kitchen to see the Birthday Queen
All the happy faces a beautiful scene
Hugs for Chantale, another for Helene
I met a new person, energetic like a teen
Her name if I remember, it is Jocelynne
She is married, to a cool guy his name Martin
Bruno was cooking but stopped to say hi
Christine looked happy to be with her guy
Jokes and conversation, a whole lot of fun
Happy to spend time with everyone
Dave seemed content enjoying the mood
My stomach grumbled, I was ready for food
To the table it was time to sit down
We were all treated, to the best meal in town
First Chantale prayed a blessing on us
Our Savior is great, he deserves a fuss
The meal fantastic but the Tuna was raw
I tried to eat it but it stuck in my craw
My Mary she enjoyed it, although not me
I prefer all things cooked, that come from the sea
The pasta amazing, seafood galore
The wine was superb, I let Christine pour
She sat to my left, Dave sat to my right
Everyone there, made it a perfect night
Once concluded, Christine C sang a song
A Louis Armstrong tune we all joined along
Her voice was clearest ours more like a croak
We were lost in the moment, that's not a joke.
We all started dancing, disco moves on the floor
Armand turned up the sound, as we screamed for more
First time I saw Dave dance, he cuts quite the rug
Armand has his own moves, he likes the Jittery Bug
Before too long it was time for dessert
Hot from all the candles I unbuttoned my shirt
Chantal blew out the candles after making two wishes
Armand served Mary's cake, on rectangular dishes
Chantale's special day, a day to remember
Celebrated each year, October not November
So we raised our glasses, thankful for the cheer
Together we celebrated a friend who is dear!
Categories:
louis armstrong, birthday, celebration,
Form:
Couplet
deep and late into the hem of night
my thoughts question uncertainties,
perhaps my heart does not believe in life
anymore, and deem men as anti-heroes;
so i lock the door of my tactile pores,
yet i speak of men in my accepted duality
somehow, honoring the smell of their laughter,
and their taste of affection with anger
to sketch their contours with my skin
on white linen between ceiling and lamp;
that when i open my eyes to look at their faces,
i see the whole universe.
then to recall how gazing through a skyline
the moon reflects tints of past flames and strangers,
as peak of moments’ rapture explodes
slicing the darkness ...changing whimpers to wonder...
that all i could say is “ thank you”,
appreciating my imperfectly perfect world...
i recall filling a basin of warmth for them
when streams of giving chains me
in the under –toe of hunger’s ebbs and tides,
embracing the divine wonder in their beings.
-------------------
* if we perceive a man or woman from a perspective
of seeing his/ her inner beauty despite some flaws, wouldn't
it be a wonderful place to be?
*inspired by Louis Armstrong’ “ what a wonderful world”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCp3K3XUhvU
Frank H's I Recall Contest
by nette onclaud
Categories:
louis armstrong, world, perspective, universe,
Form:
Free verse
Tag words: advertising, bebop, bird, bottle, Charlie
Parker, Coca-Cola, Cole Porter, Dizzy Gillespie,
door, flag, heart, jazz, light bulb, Louis Armstrong,
Miles Davis, palette, Pepsi Cola, pluralism – found
object, retablo painting, sculpture
Arbitrary or subconscious, Saunders picked six.
Man created on the sixth day from darkness;
we came into the light, of knowing, of naming.
Satan, sin held within, black of skin. Oh,
Africa chopped up bleeding, the third world’s
doors shown black, nailed shut. With the skin
of drums, the heel of hand, he pounds the nails
on the trail of the carpenter.
Kept in place, biblical wives of Lot turned to salt,
white-line the globe. White powder, white power,
sugars the unpalpable, addicting, coca leafs and
caffeine, doping the public, the poor for dimes.
Reinforcing the lure of the bottle; the cola bottle
that fell unbroken to earth from the sky in The
God’s Must Be Crazy. Some have always used their
addictions to create. Like a found objects, we too
fall calling to Mother Mary.
After: The Gift of Presence Raymond Saunders 1993
First Published by Ekphrastic Art:writing and art on art and writing
*Lot the nephew of Abraham, husband of Edith
who was turned to salt.
Categories:
louis armstrong, art,
Form:
Ekphrasis
Louis Armstrong …
a class by himself
Not Dixie or Jazz
but much deeper felt
Growing better with age
his music enthralls
If fourteen or forty
his melodies call
Both Ella and Ray
are seated out front
As Satchmo delivers
when others exeunt
Timelessly treasured
he’d broken the mold
Of what sound can measure
—and a smile can hold
(Dreamsleep: December, 2023)
Categories:
louis armstrong, music,
Form:
Rhyme
Have you ever written anything without sub combing to tears ?
My Family portrait in my mind , 2 older sisters , 2 brothers
My Mother caring about all five in different ways
Just with Mom & Dad there having the best of Holidays
My sisters laying out on the deck of river bank for 4th of July ~
Listening to " Honkey Chateau " and all by Elton John.
music a great memory ~Disco , Donna summer , Grease ~ Jaws !
Dad's records to Tony Bennett , Hank W Sr. , Count Basie & Louis Armstrong.
The music takes me home in a wagon filled with children and a dog "Lucky "
My Older brother , athletic , always fishing & hunting.
My younger , my Rock , Swimming and netting for fish,
feeding our Fat cat Perch off the rocks patiently awaits her food
the yelling , slamming of doors , tempers Flare , passion
Our Parents , passionate love yet passionate Hate .
After being a Family of Seven , Divorcing their fate ..
Why did that show " Dallas " bring out the Divorce in all ?
Scottish ~ Irish ~ French Iroquois ~ Cherokee
No matter what the mix ..Our curse Alcohol ~
the Screaming , Drinking , this memory I wish to shut the door on .
Going to A & W or making Cheerleading ,The Bears of course~
Excited in Chicago ! seeing Elton John in the Summer of 1976 ~
Cubs , museum of Wax , Museum of science & History , Pizza !
Expeditions of discovery ,little brother & I finding arrowheads on the Shore.
Our Grandparents Faithful Celebrations ! Chiffon cake , Apple strudel `
Our Cousins on Holidays , going for ice cream cones ,
scent of wet rain on oak leaves ~Before Halloween was bought in stores.
~ That is the Family I Love ,
that is the Family I choose to miss ~
Categories:
louis armstrong, addiction, autumn, beautiful, beauty,
Form:
Dramatic Verse
"Pops" is gone
Master of the trumpet
He dazzled
with his artistry
We listened
and watched
The man could rip
out a tune.....
But if the truth be told
He is gone
He's with Bix, Miles
and the others
"Gone from the world"
Categories:
louis armstrong, music
Form:
Okay time for some happy upbeat stuff
And I'm just the guy that can bring it
Mr. Happy is what some people call me
Is there any other way to be
The world is filled with nasty stuff
There's enough of that going around
Need something to counterbalance it
So start grinning and singing and acting like a clown
The world is just a great big circus anyway
Might as well add your unique perspective
Can't get worse, only get better
So c'mon youse guys!
Join me and Louis Armstrong...
“What A Wonderful World”
© Jack Ellison 2014
Categories:
louis armstrong, happiness, perspective,
Form:
Narrative
What's go great about New Orleans, Louisiana, is that of its jazz music and its voodoo culture. The city has been known as "The Big Easy" since the 1800s. It seems that all of the tourists from across the United States have considered New Orleans their favorite vacation spot. There's always a Mardi Gras every day, we've got people throwing beads at each other, jazz musicians playing their instruments (the saxophones, trumpets, etc.), and people dress in costumes every single day. But what's so great about New Orleans, Louisiana, most of all is that when spring breakers come to the city for spring break, even when they're still going to college. Everybody knows that the Big Easy is also known for its Cajun cooking, especially when the chefs are known for making a lot of jambalaya, gumbo, and a lot of Cajun foods. And what's so great about New Orleans, Louisiana, is when MTV was there, especially when the MTV network executives had been recording episodes of "The Real World:" one back in 2000, the other was back in 2010. New Orleans, Louisiana, is the strongest city in America, even though it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina back in August 2005. But the famous street best known by New Orleans, Louisiana, most of all is the French Quarter and and one of New Orleans' favorite landmarks is the St. Louis Cathedral. And the New Orleans Arena and the Louisiana Superdome are home to the New Orleans Hornets (NBA-National Basketball Association) and the New Orleans Saints (NFL-National football League). Even the late Louis Armstrong was from the city. Well, I hope to go to New Orleans, Louisiana, one day. And if the City of New Orleans were to stay on the map for a long time, it's going to be like a Mardi Gras on a Saturday night and Fat Tuesday in the afternoon.
Categories:
louis armstrong, adventure, on writing and
Form:
Ode
Reverse this polarity, my hormonal engine
Playing my body like a baby grand
Rough and rugged, Jerry Lee Lewis
Succumbs to Louis Armstrong in Platinum
Blues verses boogy woogy
An invariable blender, shaken not stirred
Keeping me up nights
Tapping my toes to the teardrops
entered for consideration in MJ's contest, "Let's get untwisted"
Categories:
louis armstrong, health
Form:
Free verse
Is my awareness limited by my bad habits?
Within the absence of engine sounds I find time to sigh
I should be searching for the cultivators of my net dreams
Instead I’m buying paper for the books I plan to write
What the heck? It could be my awareness is limited
I feel echo chills from out of all the walls
The gradual sacrifice of my solo man
I’m nailed to my nickels and dimes
I make all of my skillful errors
while pounding on Sunday keyboards
Anonymously meeting in interstellar coffee shops
limits defining my unlimited choices
So I play Louis Armstrong
pondering the reason for words
These words borrowed from his titles
I feel the echo chills pounding like rain
This requires no sacrifice
I’m paying for nothing
I removed his Debit card from the table
It could be one more of those bad habits!
I was inspired to write this piece after reading some of “Sand Blown’s” poems. I found the title names to be intriguing so I used them to knit this piece together. Please join me in welcoming a talented new poet.
Categories:
louis armstrong, perspective,
Form:
Free verse
Two things you don't want 9.1.15
If I appeared slightly under the weather
or if he just wanted a little fun,
my dad would ask if I had
the cholerie morbus*.
If not that
maybe the heebie jeebies.
Neither sounded like
a real ailment.
I thought he'd conjured up
the maladies – "Oh, Daddy."
Do you suppose he knew?
Had he read that President Zachary Taylor
died suddenly of cholera morbus in 1850.
Maybe he picked the term 'heebie jeebies'
from the 1926 Louis Armstrong song of the same title.
We'll never know.
After he asked I felt better
He made my little bouts brief.
I think my dad, the finest of men,
simply enjoyed the sound of 'cholerie morbus'
and 'heebie jeebies'.
He loved to gently tease and was full of good humor.
*My dad always said "cholerie morbus", not "cholera morbus", which is "acute gastroenteritis occurring in summer and autumn and marked by severe cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. No longer in scientific use." Sounds too awful for him to have known what it was.
Categories:
louis armstrong, childhood, dad, father, father
Form:
Prose Poetry
now is all there is,
that's the nature of the beast,
relatively speaking
advantaging 'those' who control time...
now is a situation of absence and meaning
'those'...are us and our day to day routines
slowing down, to take advantage of the scenery...
remember the most wonderful childhood song,
'what a wonderful world' by louis armstrong...
well, now is all there is and it is a wonder(full) world...be strong
Categories:
louis armstrong, absence, age, allegory, appreciation,
Form:
Free verse
This has to be New Orleans’ favorite song.
It was made popular by the late Louis Armstrong.
Although Satchmo is no longer around.
we can always hear this immortal sound.
The tune is beloved by fans of jazz.
Bands play it with a lot of pizzazz.
It possibly has the most beautiful melody
with perhaps the exception of “Hello Dolly”.
Categories:
louis armstrong, music, tribute,
Form:
Rhyme
Way down here
In the swamps of Dixie,
Where I learned to dance
With gators grinning,
There’s music like none
You’ve ever heard.
It laces the bayous
In passionate tones,
Enough to make you
Want to move your feet.
There’s more history
In this place
Than you might imagine,
Alive and burning
On the edges
Of modern civility.
It refuses to die,
Won’t settle for living
In the past,
As though it didn’t matter.
This is where
I studied life and love,
Knowing my neighbor,
Sharing the burden
Of cottonmouth dreams
And moss-hidden nights
Beneath sweltering pines.
This is who I am,
As salty as the sweat
Upon your brow.
But the music
Has been silenced,
My people no longer sway
In the humid breeze,
Muted by ravaging winds
And torrent tides.
Drowning in the madness
Of hopelessness,
We don’t feel
Our narrated past anymore.
Now we count
The changes of hours
Marked by saturating grief;
There is only today.
No human should have to bear
These ravages
Polluting our memory,
Yet we are helpless
To prevent
The scars for generations.
Credence Clearwater Revival,
Tennessee Williams,
Affects my blood,
And I cannot forget
Louis Armstrong
Or B.B. King.
Jimmy Buffett,
Harry Connick, Jr.,
And scores of others
Will help them survive.
Till I once again
Find myself
In the House of the Rising Sun,
Until a Streetcar Named Desire
Fills my senses,
I shall mourn,
My tears flooding
The mighty Mississippi River,
To overflowing.
Way down here
In the swamps of Dixie,
Where I learned to dance
With voodoo grinning,
I remember the music,
Taste the brackish waters,
Before Katrina knew me,
And standing below an American Flag,
I think the South
Shall rise again.
Categories:
louis armstrong, natural disasters, music,
Form:
Free verse
Chops for Pops
(a Blues response to Black n Blue
for Louis Armstrong)
By ‘bro. zayid’
Put a lock n chain
on yr dreams ygfolk
‘cause they will sure try to take it
Put a lock n chain
on yr dreams
‘cause they will sure try to take it
make it so big n thick
can’t nobody break it…
Play bluenotes so sharp
it’ll stab the air they’ breathe
I say, play bluenotes so sharp
it’ll stab the air they’ breathe
Hit’em dead in the head
with they’ mean selfs
Make all they’ wrongdoin’ bleed…
Use excellence as an attack
make they’ obstacles disappear
Use excellence as an attack
make they’ obstacles disappear
Attack so hard
fill they’ bowels up with fear…
Purple lips dream are precious too, baby
Don’t let’m tell u no lie
Say, purple lip dreams are precious too, baby
Don’t let’m tell u no lie
Chase’m down like they’ stole from yr mama
Chase’m down till u die…
So get yr chops up
Get yr chops up
Get ready to blow’m away
Get yr chops up
Get yr chops
Get ready to blow’m away
‘cause when they come for u and yr dreams
they’ aint comin to play…
© 1987
All rights reserved
Categories:
louis armstrong, memory, mentor,
Form:
Lyric