“John Coltrane (for Amiri Baraka)” — a poem (with collage) by Steve Dalachinsky

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“John Coltrane,” by Steve Dalachinsky

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JOHN COLTRANE (for Amiri Baraka)

John Coltrane
A bitter wind blows thru A LOVE SUPREME
& people are still waiting for the Ascension
with their eyes closed teeth clenched & fingers crossed

John Coltrane
old news is still news
assasination integration racism large schism & Africa?
is it still in Interstellar Space?

John Coltrane
the cicadas were buried in my head
long before I ever heard them
Kennedy King X
Kennedy King X
looking at the moon does not seem so strange
you do, John Coltrane, cause me to go on
wandering the Sea of Japan in my Bare feet
does not seem so strange
my language a thing of the past
the star fish & crab in their own universe
my universe does not seem so strange
I want to talk about I want to talk about
You

John Coltrane John Coltrane John Coltrane
i have taken the leap with you though the impression I get
as the Countdown approaches is that things are still spiraling
downward & are not, John Coltrane, made up of 3 Little Words
Where is the Promise – is it on Mars Jupiter Alabama?
Things are not what they used to be & yet they are
John Coltrane
My grandmother
it was said
sang her own kind of spirituals
while working on some underground railroad in a faraway land
Dear Lord Dear John Coltrane where are our eyes?
Can we open them on a Moment’s Notice?
WAKE UP WAKE UP
John Coltrane
it is not we who live this LUSH LIFE
but Life Itself
as Death & the Blues
wait impatiently to follow
John Coltrane
what are WE Waiting for?
The consequence of compassion can be nothing more than
3 Little Words
these 3 little words that too many find so easy to say
Europa – Hollywood – Apple
do you think we will ever give that space? Have that space?
insects serenity joy
Are the Offerings we make all the wrong kind?
John Coltrane
were you living in the crescent of the Void ?
can there really be Peace ON Earth?
do Dawn & Dusk truly intertwine?
the light’s way up now
the shadows too
so I guess they do
we do
somewhere down the line
John Coltrane
always exploring new territories
I am there with you
my voice was mumbling about beauty
long before my lips ever moved

the world is in revolution
has long been in revolution
we’ve only to ask
the SUN

oh John Coltrane
John Coltrane
I haven’t slept again
& I’m sure there are people out there
doing the same thing
barely breathing
waiting for the breakfast wagon to arrive
the air is electric with a new season
another drought has passed
another hurricane
I’m still here
though the cicada’s time has ended
John Coltrane
some creatures suffer so long
for what seems so little
is there really a “GRAND DESIGN” ?
what does a diamond prove ?
John Coltrane
the world is a dangerous place
full of windex cell phones
& fax machines
women washing windows on windy days
comrades serving coffee on clear mornings
with the movement thru the trees
the realist music there is – shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
John Coltrane
it’s all about good food & press passes
John Coltrane
let’s not talk of torture or birdsong
of bondage or passage booked
i’ll acknowledge there’s hope
if you play me another solo
just play me another solo
play me another solo
play me another solo

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by Steve Dalachinsky (9/99)

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Steve Dalachinsky is a New York downtown poet. He is active in the poetry, music, art, and free jazz scene. Dalachinsky’s main influences are the Beats, William Blake, The Odyssey, obsession, socio-political angst, human disappointment, music (especially Jazz), and visual art with leanings toward abstraction. Dalachinsky’s books include A Superintendent’s Eyes (Hozomeen Press 2000), his PEN Award Winning book The Final Nite & Other Poems: Complete Notes From A Charles Gayle Notebook 1987-2006 (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2006), a compendium of poetry written while watching saxophonist Charles Gayle perform throughout New York City in that time period, and Logos and Language, co-authored with pianist Matthew Shipp (RogueArt 2008) and Reaching Into The Unknown, a collaboration with French photographer Jacques Bisceglia (RogueArt 2009).

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For a complete biography, visit his Wikipedia page.

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Steve Dalachinsky has created many collages in honor of jazz music and musicians, as well as countless others that are not music-themed.  Select collages (accompanied by his poetry) will be published in ensuing issues of Jerry Jazz Musician.

These collages are for sale (and are inexpensive).  If you wish to inquire about their availability, you can contact Steve via email at [email protected]

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