In the pulsating heart of bebop’s wild ride, Subway rails sing the rhythm of the night, Blowin’ off the rails/
a thrill to feel alive, Jazz improvises, takes flight in the city’s light/
Looping in style, the beat generation’s soul, Way gone, yet forever new, they roll, Jack and Neal, spinning the tenor’s wheel, Words and notes, a truth they want to reveal/
Coltrane’s solo on Giant Steps, a climb, Echoes through the alleyways of time,52nd Street, ’48’s jazz glow, Earl Garner’s spirit, hip and slow/
Fog rolls in by the Bay’s embrace, Bebop’s pulse, poets’ word art chase, A synergy of sound and voice, Village streets, where poets make their choice/
Jack Kerouac, with liquor and ink, dives into the dark, on the brink, painted words on Lex Avenue’s track, spoken word jazz, never holding back/
Turntables spinning, on the road we go, Jazz, weed, drink—life’s ebb and flow, San Francisco’s poets, breaking free, unveiling truths for all to see/
In the fusion of music and spoken word’s grace, lies a revolution, a sacred space, of injustice, love, and human rights—The beat goes on through endless nights.
Snazzy jazzy Razzmatazzy,
new black cat of mine
curled up cozy on my bed -
what makes you so fine?
Snazzy jazzy Razzmatazzy,
small and smooth and sleek.
Guests come calling; in you slink
just to take a peek!
Snazzy jazzy Razzmatazzy,
languidly you preen.
Gaze with eyes I can't define.
Are they gold or green?
Snazzy jazzy Razzmatazzy,
now a little fat.
All you do is lay around -
I'm ok with that!
Snazzy jazzy Razzmatazzy,
as I stroke your fur,
start your rhythm warm and dear.
Bring that jazzy purr!
Snazzy jazzy Razzmatazzy,
great is my relief
that I found a pet like you
sweet beyond belief!
(slight variation of 5/7 trochee poetry form)
For the jazz poetry contest of Giorgio Venetopoulos
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