Short Coltrane Poems

Long night thoughts
Sweet john coltrane
I'm a night bird
Take my guns away the night
Must grow up and love me...

Read More

spontaneous   
   vitality
phrased
 individuality
improvised. 
     interpretations
of
the
  moment
filled
      with energye
in
   intuitive
      avant-garde
orrnamentation...

Read More

The damn thing’s screaming in the yard
It wants green eggs and ham
It’s trying to play the outrage card
Cuz all I had was spam
The wretched fox demanded Bach,
He didn’t like Coltrane
He’s screeching out there in the woods
His socks have holes again...

Read More

the order of the iambic pentameter
the logical conception of a piece by Bach 
the irregular voices of free verse
the frenzied wails of latter day Coltrane 
the yin the yang, the shade the sheen
and all the vibrant shades that lie between. 


© bickerstaffe - all rights reserved...

Read More

CRUISING WITH TRANE...
   (Apropos John Coltrane)

Sometimes
in a blue note mood
i take the A-Trane
into a soprano night

And listen 
to moonlight thrills
of beautiful sable birds

Monking around
with satin dolls
in search
of a love supreme:

Spiritual cruising with Trane
is still one of my favorite things....

Read More

the order of the iambic pentameter,
the chaos of the totally unmetrical,
the logical conception of a piece by Bach,
the frenzied wailing of the later John Coltrane,
the predictability of the sonnet form,
the convoluted voices of free verse,
the yin the yang, the shade the sheen,
and all the vibrant shades that lie between!...

Read More

The Cast of the Dukes of Hazzard

By Elton Camp

Daisy is sure a cutie
Enos acts too fruity

Cooter’s full of dirt
Jesse’s way too curt

Bo is too full of self
Luke to reason’s deaf

Coltrane is too weak
Too much of a sneak

General Lee, you see,
Is too orange for me

Boss Hogg’s the star
Greed’ll take him far...

Read More

the order of the iambic pentameter,
the chaos of the totally unmetrical,
the logical conception of a piece by Bach,
the frenzied wailing of the later John Coltrane,
the predictability of the sonnet form,
the convoluted voices of free verse,
the yin the yang, the shade the sheen,
and all the vibrant shades that lie between!...

Read More

the order of the iambic pentameter,
the chaos of the totally unmetrical,
the logical conception of a piece by Bach,
the frenzied wailing of the later John Coltrane,
the predictability of the sonnet form,
the convoluted voices of free verse,
the yin the yang, the shade the sheen,
and all the vibrant shades that lie between!...

Read More

the order of the iambic pentameter,
the chaos of the totally unmetrical,
the logical conception of a piece by Bach,
the frenzied wailing of the latter John Coltrane,
the predictability of the sonnet form,
the convoluted voices of free verse,
the yin the yang, the shade the sheen,
and all the vibrant shades that lie between!...

Read More

Blueberries, balckberries,
berries galore,
new mown grass smell
wafting through an open door,
bird and squirrel
who come to visit me,
or Coltrane jazz
playing warm and free.
When you get to be my age,
a hundred little things
become favorites you see ...
each moment precious and sweet,
every smile a warm treat.



       for farah chamma contest "My Favorite Things"...

Read More

The scent of warm cinnamon tea & soothing saxophone notes of Coltrane drift over my peaceful thoughts this frigid below zero morning in Minnesota...

A flute calms in waves listening to Pharoah Sanders...

Everything outside is covered in snow and ice...

A voice arises "peace and happiness for every man"

"The Creator has but one demand"

"Peace and happiness for all the land"

"Peace and happiness for all the land"...

Read More

...dedicated to John Coltrane


Shrieking and squawking, 
following prophets through uncharted waters,
wailing in sustained arpeggios.
He mimics constellations, blazing stars in rich profusion, 
pulling passion into focus with dark, supple tones.

Religions and mythologies, 
screams of souls in harsh enslavement, 
sources for his stark doxologies;
charting new boundaries of rhythm and rhyme, 
a new definition his legacy, growing with time....

Read More

...for John Coltrane


Shrieking and squawking, following 
prophets through uncharted waters,
wailing in sustained arpeggios.
He mimics constellations, blazing stars
in rich profusion, pulling passion
into focus with a dark yet supple tone.

Religions and mythologies, 
screams of souls in harsh enslavement, 
sources for his stark doxologies;
charting new boundaries of rhythm
and rhyme, a new definition
his legacy, growing with time....

Read More

...for John Coltrane


Shrieking and squawking, following 
prophets through uncharted waters,
wailing in sustained arpeggios.
He mimics constellations, blazing stars
in rich profusion, pulling passion
into focus with a dark yet supple tone.

Religions and mythologies, 
screams of souls in harsh enslavement, 
sources for his stark doxologies;
charting new boundaries of rhythm
and rhyme, a new definition
his legacy, growing with time....

Read More

...for John Coltrane


Shrieking and squawking, following 
prophets through uncharted waters,
wailing in sustained arpeggios.
He mimics constellations, blazing stars
in rich profusion, pulling passion
into focus with a dark yet supple tone.

Religions and mythologies, 
screams of souls in harsh enslavement, 
sources for his stark doxologies;
charting new boundaries of rhythm
and rhyme, a new definition
his legacy, growing with time....

Read More

...dedicated to John Coltrane


Shrieking and squawking, following 
prophets through uncharted waters,
wailing in sustained arpeggios.
He mimics constellations, blazing stars
in rich profusion, pulling passion
into focus with a dark yet supple tone.

Religions and mythologies, 
screams of souls in harsh enslavement, 
sources for his stark doxologies;
charting new boundaries of rhythm
and rhyme, a new definition
his legacy, growing with time....

Read More

In the midst of all this chaos
When frustration’s only grown, 
Let us pause to stop and listen
To the lovely saxophone.

Adolphe Sax was its inventor
Back in 1846
And his instrument remains
One of musicians’ favorite picks.

Charlie Parker, Clarence Clemons,
John Coltrane and Kenny G
Are a few whose sax renditions 
Have made music history.

So forget this doomed election.
Take a breath and clear your head
With the melancholy musings
Of a saxophone instead....

Read More

The moon is a yellow-green tonight like the pistils of a daisy.
I have no interest in sleep.
The wine is gentle on my nerves.
I think about her discreetly.
I imagine her on a couch in pajamas reading a thick novel.
It is wrong of me to think of her without her consent.
I hear the deer down below rustling the leaves.
They have gathered around to listen to John Coltrane.
She has that way about her that makes you want to think about her.
And the silky darkness makes it easy....

Read More