A 2026 jazz poetry calendar

December 31st, 2025

 

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Readers can click to the next month at the conclusion of each poem.  You can also go to each month by clicking on the link to the months here:

Jan/Feb/Mar/Apr/May/Jun/Jul/Aug/Sep/Oct/Nov/Dec/Intro

 

 

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May, 2026

“May Day”

by DH Jenkins

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Chris Hakkens, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jaco Pastorius, 1980

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May Day

Window on a night street
window on a wilderness retreat;
the soft luster of falling snow
the traces of tiny bird feet.

I hear the rain of distant clouds
and put the kettle on,
sip coffee and dream,
warm feet on the wood stove.

I feel the openness of summer,
I feel the spirit of spring,
and those mornings of May
are where I want to remain—

Listening to Jaco Pastorius’
“May Day” lets me surrender
to the breeze, Beltane,
and those avenues of wonder.

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Listen to DH Jenkins read his poem

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DH Jenkins’ poems have appeared in  Jerry Jazz Musician, Kinds of Cool—an interactive collection of Jazz Poetry 2025  (Unsolicited Press),  The Ekphrastic Review and The Wave, Kelp Journal, as well as in Ocean Poetry Anthology 2024 (Kelp Books), Ocean Poetry Anthology 2025(Kelp Books). For many years he was a professor of Speech and Writing for UMUC-Asia, living and working in Japan and Korea. While in residence there, he received the Bylee Massey Award for a project in the Humanities, as well as the Drazek Excellence in Teaching Award. He now lives in New Zealand.

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Listen to the 1989 recording of Jaco Pastorious performing his (and Brian Melvin’s) composition “May Day.”  [The Orchard]

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Click here to read Russell Dupont’s poem for June

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