for Al ‘72
when a woman leaves you
with nothing but her scent
try not to breathe too deeply
beware of pillowcases & shirt collars
the quiet interior of a closet
even your own fingertips
if not careful
the false ordinariness of these things
is what will pull you under
for Nina ‘65
i am the woman
who plays for keeps
the one who
no matter where you go in this world
you will always
find your way back to me
for Miles
meet me ‘round midnight
pull the sky over our heads
let bodies orbit each other
in perfect rotation
til’ day breaks & our sweat twinkles
like stars
for Esther
Esther, what was it?
moonlight. your back. his firm hands.
a whisper turned kiss…
Esther, tell me
when did you know he was worth
the forever of a song?
for John
a woman like you
make a man like me
six string more than words
to make the notes
between the notes
call out for you
for Betty
baaaadddddd
baddddddddd
baddddddddd betty
got dem
straight to heaven legs
& that
send me to hell mouth
for Stevie
where were you when I needed you?
your voice
pained xylophone teardrops
& cymbal crashes
wraps itself around a question of choice
staining melodic keys
with love’s arid ashes
where were you when I needed you?
smashes itself into this melody
you wait for spring
hoping it’s not too late
for David
at an early age
you learned the limits
of your being
how it feels to know
that freedom is nothing more
than a clear view of sunrise
the day you witnessed
yo pa broken
at the crack whip lash
of some white man’s tongue
for Miles & Trane
all blues
prayed over me
Miles and Trane closed my eyes
today i really heard you
bleed bassline of the cool
blue moon teardrops
i cried