The Sunday Poem: “The North Carolina Man” by DH Jenkins

September 26th, 2026

The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.

DH Jenkins reads his poem at its conclusion.

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Cover of the 1962 Impulse album Coltrane

The North Carolina Man

As if he were a tar-heal stuck in the mud
the dark blue river took him away
his cold feet measured the distance
to New York City and there he went.

His head lifts to the statue of liberty
as he plays Giant Steps;
His sax weights heavily on Alabama
where those four girls were spent.

I first saw his intense face on a poster
in the museum of outer space, which
reminded me of my own tortured history,
The wounded Celt, lost and disgraced.

I see myself in Morrison Planetarium
listening to Out of this World as nebula
divide and galaxies collide rather than
stranded on the dark side of the moon.

Most disturbingly, I’m known to listen to
My Favorite Things with a tear in my eye
my foot to the metal, imagining flight
to the end of time or the highway.

Coltrane, legend, my friend, good night—
If there’s an afterlife, you’ll be there;
I’ll see you playing a flute or sax,
and I’ll be poised, attentive, relaxed.

Listen to DH Jenkins read his poem

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DH Jenkins’ poems have appeared in Jerry Jazz Musician, Kinds of Cool—an interactive collection of Jazz Poetry 2025 (Unsolicited Press), The Ekphrastic Review and The Wave, Kelp Journal, as well as in Ocean Poetry Anthology 2024 (Kelp Books), Ocean Poetry Anthology 2025(Kelp Books). For many years he was a professor of Speech and Writing for UMUC-Asia, living and working in Japan and Korea. While in residence there, he received the Bylee Massey Award for a project in the Humanities, as well as the Drazek Excellence in Teaching Award. He now lives in New Zealand.

Listen to the 1962 recording of John Coltrane performing the Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer composition “Out of This World,” with McCoy Tyner (piano); Jimmy Garrison (bass); and Elvin Jones (drums). [Universal Music Group]