Poetry by John Kaniecki

March 5th, 2013

 

A Rap for a Real Revolutionary

 

Bad news she softly said
Chairman Fred is dead
What was his crime?
What did he do wrong?
Being ahead of his time
And fighting too strong

The wind blows harsh in Chicago
Wailing woe
For the secrets it does know
We just wanted to be free
And live decently
She says between tears
As she hangs low her head
This is the worst of our fears
Chairman Fred is dead

Revolutionaries in truth cannot die
The question will persist
Why?

I insist
That we carry on
Though like so many others
Chairman Fred is gone

I salute you sisters, I salute you brothers
Let us not give up the fight
For one day darkness will be vanquished by light
That is the hope that is the dream
That is the motive supreme
Countless sorrows my heart has bled
Our martyrs’ blood like rivers flow
Oceans of agony is the pain we know
Chairman Fred is dead
We too must be willing to give our lives
That is how the struggle survives

 

 

Just a Share Cropper

 

I’m just a share cropper, dats my name
Many a title but we’re all de same
I work the soil seven days a weak
I labor and toil till I’m tired and week
I got to pay to fertilize.
I got to pay for seed
My integrity I compromise
To meet my family’s need
At the end of the season when harvest is done
I’m worse off then when I’ve begun
Da mastah he keep the book
Da mastah he won’t even let me take a look
If I dare to argue and fight
I’ll get a visit late at night
So I silently curse and deny my pride
And my anger and hatred I try to hide
See the mastah he got complete control
He got everything but a soul

 

 

Trotsky and the Revolution

 

Trotsky Slips on his pink ballerina slippers
Majestically performing Swan Lake
A comrade quippers
His shoes should have been red
That was his tragic mistake
Another shot back at his brother
To me, they should be
Blue and no other color
So back and forth went the debate
And the closest of friends fled in hate
I believe no man is above another
I believe capitalism and imperialism must cease
I believe the soviets should dictate to above
I believe in communal peace
I believe in common Love
I believe the pigs and dogs whom lust in greed
Should share with the masses who are in need
I believe in the failure of the partial solution
I believe in total revolution
And finally
I believe in totality
That Trotsky would agree with me
So let us not debate each minute detail
For if we do then we all shall fail

 

In Jail

 

Says the hood to the guard
“Aw man don’t you know life is hard?”
Said the guard to the hood
“Aw man it’s just that you ain’t no good!”
The prisoner clenches his fists on the cold steel bars
And gave the officer a serious stare
“Brother I don’t know who you are,
“But I certainly know that you don’t care!!”
The blue uniformed man’s face turned red
Confused if he felt anger or shame
Screaming, “Man your kind should all be dead,
“You ain’t got nobody but yourself to blame!!”
In the cage he sought to control his rage
The guard with nothing further to say
Simply walked away

Another criminal called from a distant cell
“Man don’t you know they gonna give you hell?”

The human being, God’s very own special creation
Replied stoically without hesitation
“If they give me hell that would be bliss
“Cause even hell is better than this.”

Share this:

3 comments on “Poetry by John Kaniecki”

Comment on this article:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

In This Issue

"Nina" by Marsha Hammel
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Winter, 2024 Edition...One-third of the Winter, 2024 collection of jazz poetry is made up of poets who have only come to my attention since the publication of the Summer, 2023 collection. What this says about jazz music and jazz poetry – and this community – is that the connection between the two art forms is inspirational and enduring, and that poets are finding a place for their voice within the pages of this website. (Featuring the art of Marsha Hammel)

The Sunday Poem

Michelangelo Caetani, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped from "The Divine Comedy Described in Six Plates")
“The Divine Comedy as a Jazz Piece” by Matthew Johnson

Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem

Poetry

Proceeding From Behind: A collection of poems grounded in the rhythmic, relating to the remarkable, by Terrance Underwood...A relaxed, familiar comfort emerges from the poet Terrance Underwood’s language of intellectual acuity, wit, and space – a feeling similar to one gets while listening to Monk, or Jamal, or Miles. I have long wanted to share his gifts as a poet on an expanded platform, and this 33-poem collection – woven among his audio readings, music he considers significant to his story, and brief personal comments – fulfills my desire to do so.

Short Fiction

pickpik.com
Short Fiction Contest-winning story #65 — “Ballad” by Lúcia Leão...The author’s award-winning story is about the power of connections – between father and child, music and art, and the past, present and future.

Click here to read more short fiction published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Interview

photo of Louis Jordan by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
Interview with Tad Richards, author of Jazz With a Beat: Small Group Swing, 1940 – 1960...Richards makes the case that small group swing players like Illinois Jacquet, Louis Jordan (pictured) and Big Jay McNeely played a legitimate jazz that was a more pleasing listening experience to the Black community than the bebop of Parker, Dizzy, and Monk. It is a fascinating era, filled with major figures and events, and centered on a rigorous debate that continues to this day – is small group swing “real jazz?”

Playlist

Sonny Rollins' 1957 pianoless trio recording "Way Out West"
“The Pianoless Tradition in Modern Jazz” – a playlist by Bob Hecht...an extensive playlist built around examples of prominent pianoless modern jazz.

Interview

Michael Cuscuna in 1972
From the Interview Archive: Jazz Producer, Discographer, and Entrepreneur Michael Cuscuna...Few music industry executives have had as meaningful an impact on jazz music as Michael Cuscuna, who passed away on April 20 at the age of 75. I had the privilege of interacting with Michael several times over the years, including this wide-ranging 2019 interview I conducted with him. His energy and vision was deeply admired within the jazz world. May his spirit for the music and its culture continue to impact those of us who remain.

Poetry

The 1987 Mosaic Records collection of The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Herbie Nichols
“Thinking of Herbie” – a poem by Daniel W. Brown

Click here to read more poetry published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Essay

"Lester Leaps In" by Tad Richards
"Jazz and American Poetry," an essay by Tad Richards...In an essay that first appeared in the Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Poetry in 2005, Tad Richards - a prolific visual artist, poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer who has been active for over four decades – writes about the history of the connection of jazz and American poetry.

Trading Fours with Douglas Cole

The cover of Wayne Shorter's 2018 Blue Note album "Emanon"
Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 20: “Notes on Genius...This edition of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film is written in response to the music of Wayne Shorter.

Click here to read previous editions of Trading Fours with Douglas Cole

Review

Jason Innocent, on “3”, Abdullah Ibrahim’s latest album... Album reviews are rarely published on Jerry Jazz Musician, but Jason Innocent’s experience with the pianist Abdullah Ibrahim’s new recording captures the essence of this artist’s creative brilliance.

Book Excerpt

Book excerpt from Jazz with a Beat: Small Group Swing 1940 – 1960, by Tad Richards

Click here to read more book excerpts published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Poetry

"Jazz Trio" by Samuel Dixon
A collection of jazz haiku, Vol. 2...The 19 poets included in this collection effectively share their reverence for jazz music and its culture with passion and brevity.

Jazz History Quiz #171

Dick Cavett/via Wikimedia Commons
In addition to being one of the greatest musicians of his generation, this Ohio native was an activist, leading “Jazz and People’s Movement,” a group formed in the late 1960’s who “adopted the tactic of interrupting tapings and broadcasts of television and radio programs (i.e. the shows of Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett [pictured] and Merv Griffin) in protest of the small number of Black musicians employed by networks and recording studios.” Who was he?

Click here to visit the Jazz History Quiz archive

Community

photo via Picryl.com
.“Community Bookshelf, #2"...a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so…

Contributing Writers

Click the image to view the writers, poets and artists whose work has been published on Jerry Jazz Musician, and find links to their work

Coming Soon

An interview with Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz, authors of But Will You Love Me Tomorrow? An Oral History of the 60's Girl Groups;  a new collection of jazz poetry; a collection of jazz haiku; a new Jazz History Quiz; short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and lots more in the works...

Interview Archive

Eubie Blake
Click to view the complete 22 year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake (pictured); Richard Brent Turner on jazz and Islam; Alyn Shipton on the art of jazz; Shawn Levy on the original queens of standup comedy; Travis Atria on the expatriate trumpeter Arthur Briggs; Kitt Shapiro on her life with her mother, Eartha Kitt; Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole; Wayne Enstice on the drummer Dottie Dodgion; the drummer Joe La Barbera on Bill Evans; Philip Clark on Dave Brubeck; Nicholas Buccola on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley; Ricky Riccardi on Louis Armstrong; Dan Morgenstern and Christian Sands on Erroll Garner; Maria Golia on Ornette Coleman.

Site Archive