Home » Jazz Articles » Jazz Poetry » so listen:

so listen:

By Bill Siegel
March 25, 2007
View read count

so listen:

i've counted the moose that might have crossed
the fields we passed
thought of the bear at the woodpile
at night one summer wandering headcocked
like a drunk looking for a friendly ear
tell you his story for a drink
tell you his story for a drink

i've watched crowshadowed houses cower at dawn
like the dalton boys waiting out a train
emmet & grat & the rest
even their father didn't remember their names
couldn't say how many there were

but in the wind i still hear them
horns singing 'so what' 'blowin the blues away'
and they follow me
dolphy & bird
miles mingus & trane
these names this music
this wind simply saying we must be heard

so listen

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Unicity
< Previous

A Long Story
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.