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The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.
Russell Dupont reads his poem at its conclusion.
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breakingpic/via Pexels
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The Parking Lot Behind TJ’s
Cars come and go, while I slouch
behind the wheel, sipping coffee,
my head swaying ever-so-slightly
to Gerry Mulligan, easing through
Come Rain or Come Shine.
Across the lot, a sign
spanning the side of a building,
screams, “DOGTOPIA —
DAYCARE; BOARDING”
and a woman tugs
her reluctant Dachshund
up the flight of stairs,
opens the door to a cacophony
of barking that fades
as she disappears inside.
A black sedan
pulls in to a spot
a few spaces away
and the driver, a woman,
sits, staring into space.
As Clark Terry’s solo
on Let My People Be
leads into an undulating finale,
I discover my coffee’s gone
and nothing around me is moving.
I eject Mulligan
at the Village Vanguard
and slip in MJQ’s Elegance.
The day is sunny,
a musty odor
hangs in the air
like a heavy curtain,
but all I want to do
is put the seat back,
close my eyes
and doze off listening
to Love Me Pretty Baby.
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Listen to Russell Dupont read his poem
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Russell Dupont, poet, artist, novelist, has published in the albatross, Spectrum, The I, For Poets Only, The Anthology of South Shore Poets, Re-Side, Oddball, Jerry Jazz Musician, Adelaide Literary Magazine, Rye Whiskey Review, Last Stanza Poetry Journal, the new post-literate, DADAKU, One Sentence, Verse-Virtual, Lothlorien Journal, Pick-Me-Up Poetry, Poetry Porch, Concrete Formalist Poetry and the Northern New England Review. He is the author of three novels: King & Train, Waiting for the Turk, Movin’ On; a collection of short stories, Norman Mailer Walks Into a Bar; four collections of poetry: Winter, 1948, Establishing Home Plate, Jazz at the Point and One Foot in Front of the Other.
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Listen to the 1952 recording of the Modern Jazz Quartet playing the Dizzy Gillespie composition “Love Me Pretty Baby,” with Milt Jackson (vibes); John Lewis (piano); Percy Heath (bass); and Kenny Clarke (drums). [Universal Music Group]
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Click for:
A Letter From the Editor: On “The Weary Blues: Celebrating Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance”
Information about the book Kinds of Cool: An Interactive Collection of Jazz Poetry, Vol. II (featuring women poets)
“21 jazz poems on the 21st” collections
More poetry on Jerry Jazz Musician
“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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