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The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.
Christopher Stolle reads his poem at its conclusion.
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photo by Jeffrey Beall/CC BY-SA 3.0/via Wikipedia
The remains of the Karnofsky Tailor Shop and residence at 427-431 South Rampart Street;
New Orleans, Louisiana
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“Hurricane Ida collapses
historic New Orleans jazz shop,
a Louis Armstrong landmark.”
– USA Today, August 30, 2021
for Louis and Tillie Karnofsky
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I. Starr Valley: Richmond, Indiana
On his smoke break,
the recording engineer
looks north, the midwestern
sun tickling his eyes.
He taps his shoes against
the studio door jamb,
shaking off caked mud
and the April afternoon chill.
His vision adjusting,
the Negro septet alights
from an invisible char-à-banc
and one of them greets him
with the smile of God.
Inside, they all cluster
around microphones,
except the satchel mouth,
who must blow his cornet
from a corner’s confines.
The King leading slowly,
the others follow rhythmically
despite oppressing heat.
The factory train clatters,
the wax reels squeak,
but the boisterous one keeps pace
with his own progression.
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II. French Quarter: New Orleans, Louisiana
Pops is everywhere here.
Storms and hurricanes
and other thieves can’t
cast asunder the imprint
he’s left on our hearts.
That historic store,
the tailor shop near
the blues of Basin Street,
might be no more,
but nothing lasts forever
except the memories
and the dreams
and the love of life
we hand down
in the songs we share.
Cut into wax and vinyl,
seared into discs,
and stored within
digital bytes are
the scats, the laughs,
the trumpet solos
that comfort you
like an old friend
who’s returned
from a long trip.
No one can ever take
that feeling away.
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III. Anytown, Anywhere
The hospital you were born in.
The last car your father rode in.
The best friend from preschool.
The recipe from generations ago.
The story of how we met.
These are all gone now,
never able to return.
We try hard to hold on
to the past,
but we need to cherish
this present moment.
As Louis said, we have
all the time in the world,
but that time should be spent
on love, Love, only love.
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Listen to Christopher Stolle read his poem
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Christopher Stolle has many roles: writer, uncle, partner, music aficionado, and baseball enthusiast. His writing has been published by Indiana University Press, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Coaches Choice, Tipton Poetry Journal, Flying Island, and Plath Poetry Project, among many others. He lives in Richmond, Indiana, the cradle of recorded jazz.
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Listen to the 1923 recording of King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band performing Oliver’s composition “Chimes Blues,” with King Oliver (cornet); Louis Armstrong (cornet); Honoré Dutrey (trombone); Lil Hardin (piano); Bill Johnson (banjo); Johnny Dodds (clarinet); and Baby Dodds (drums). This was recorded at Gennett Records in Richmond, Indiana. [Universal Music Group]
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Click for:
Information about Kinds of Cool: An Interactive Collection of Jazz Poetry, Vol. II (featuring women poets)
More poetry on Jerry Jazz Musician
War. Remembrance. Walls. The High Price of Authoritarianism – by editor/publisher Joe Maita
“Where the Music Wasn’t Allowed,” Jane McCarthy’s winning story in the 71st Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest
More short fiction on Jerry Jazz Musician
Information about how to submit your poetry or short fiction
Subscribe to the (free) Jerry Jazz Musician quarterly newsletter
Helping to support the ongoing publication of Jerry Jazz Musician, and to keep it commercial-free (thank you!)
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Jerry Jazz Musician…human produced since 1999
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