My Funny Valentine
by Henry Denander
The first flat of my own in Stockholm was
really small but in a nice area on one of
the islands south of the old town.
My girlfriend often stayed with me,
since her own flat was way out
in the suburbs.
The two of us never rang the
doorbell but used
the squeaking mail slot in the door;
when it was opened slowly it made a sound that
could be heard in the flat
and made you rush to the door.
You knew who was there.
Years later, we have been
married for some time,
having dinner in our new flat
listening to a recording of
Miles Davis
playing at Philharmonic Hall in New York
in 1964.
My Funny Valentine
Suddenly, half way into the song,
we both look up and listen,
Miles Davis is improvising and
playing a
long
single
note
the exact
tone
of that
squeaking mail slot
We smile
and feel proud
to share
this small secret
with Miles.
_____
YOU ARE MY CRIMSON CANARY
by Gannon Daniels
You reached out with a pack of camels but I refused one.
We had both stepped out of the hall where we
were listening to Miles’ dizzying rants of fusion.
Ha, I said, and all the while I was under a delusion
that any mix wasn’t pure; an ultimate intrusion.
Not so, you said, they all toyed— perhaps it
is a paradox; the grand jazz illusion?
You set me straight with pure Pettiford and
Parker’s pumice— clearly I had had some confusion.
You reminded me Mary Lou’s ventures were classical.
I pardoned my intrusion and took a cigarette this time.
I wondered if you’d like to go see some blues on
7th Avenue? You smiled, nodded, took my arm
and thanked me for the allusion.
__________
Henry Denander is semi-retired, and spends some of his time writing poetry and creating art. This portrait of Miles Davis and others like it can be seen on his blog. Click here to visit it.
*
Gannon Daniels is an adjunct English instructor at Glendale College and La Mission College. Her poetry has been published in several journals over the years; including RATTLE, Cimarron Review, Sanskrit, and Drunk Monkeys. She hopes to publish her second book of poems in 2018. Her first book is entitled The Occupying Water.
A great variety and a splendid collection of jazz
Gorgeous poem, Patricia! So much richness in so few words.
To bring from the lips to the ear or the fingers to the ear and into the body so much of life and love is such a fine thing that the poet and the musician have married here that all we can do that is celebrate and hallelujah.
I’m very happy to be part of such a fine collection. I particularly enjoyed Michael Newell’s ‘Vintage Inn ..’ and Lawrence Koumas’s lovely little anecdote.
This collection has too many good poems and poets to acknowledge every poem and every poet worthy of attention. I will, therefore, single out a handful of poets who moved me deeply. The list would include Gannon Daniels, Robert Nisbet, Susana Case, Dan Franch, Patricia Carragon, John Stupp, and Aurora Lewis. If I went back and reread all the poems for a fourth or fifth time, I would likely expand this list considerably. I tip my hat to all the fine artists in this collection, and I thank Joseph Maita for putting all these fine poems together in such an appealing way.
Michael,
I especially like the way the way the two settings, outside and inside the Inn in the first poem, as in these lines:
outside the night is filled
with cigarette smoke lightning
and Lithia Creek swirling over rocks
In the second poem, I hear the music playing in the background of the second poem.
I am pleased that I was able to participate in a poetry writing event which includes the deeply felt emotions of jazz music and love and its individual expressions in form and format. I will read these with great pleasure. This idea to showcase it on Valentines date was terrific.