“The Master Plan” — a poem (for Pharoah Sanders) by Joe Kidd

September 30th, 2022

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Manfred Werner (Tsui), CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Pharoah Sanders Quartet ft Dwight Trible and Howard Johnson - INNtöne Jazzfestival 2013 35 (cropped)

Pharoah Sanders, 2013
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The Master Plan

Woke up in the womb
the eye of the storm
as the rocks were falling from the sky
the place where pharaohs are begotten not made
and queens dissolve at the sound of the brass shofar

Woke up with a full white beard
and the storm was in my head
it rained peace and happiness
peace and happiness for every man
that hurricane made landfall
in Arkansas
and the wind never stopped
it blows tonight on the moons and the stars

My plan was to kidnap him
write a biography
inhale the smoke
listen to every note again
but the angels were too quick

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Joe Kidd is a published poet and songwriter. In 2015 he released the CD titled Everybody Has A Purpose, and in 2020 published The Invisible Waterhole, a collection of spiritual and sensual verse. Joe is a member of the National & International Beat Poet Foundation (USA), Angora Poets (Paris France), The Society of Classical Poets, and 100,000 Poets For Change International. In 2022 he was appointed Beat Poet Laureate of the State of Michigan 2022-2024. He was recently recognized as an Official Poet of the Government of Birdland. Joe was inducted into the Michigan Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in June 2017. Click here to visit his website.

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Listen to the 1973 recording of Pharoah Sanders playing “Went Like It Came” from the album Village of the Pharoahs  [The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.]

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Click here to learn how to submit your poetry

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3 comments on ““The Master Plan” — a poem (for Pharoah Sanders) by Joe Kidd”

  1. Brothers & Sisters:
    I remember the first time I heard Pharoah Sanders on my new FM radio. I recall the place, the time, the weather. Thats what his sound did to me when I was young. When I received an email from Jerry Jazz Musician asking for a submission to this months publication I planned to create something around Pharoah’s life. Then before I could begin, he was gone.
    I am honored today to be The Beat Poet Laureate of Michigan.
    I am humbled that my words are in demand.
    I am sad that Pharoah Sanders has died.
    I am Happy that he lived and that I was alive to bring testimony to his greatness.
    I am grateful to this publication for delivering my work to the world.

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