“When (A Melody For Jazz)” — a poem by Arya F. Jenkins

June 2nd, 2022

“All That Jazz,” by Linda Murphy Marshall

When (A Melody for Jazz)

When in spring
Miles’s horn awakens
The nodding giant of the streets
Locomotion dreams and
Nina’s contralto voice counters with
“you’re all gonna die…”

You remind yourself
Truth is a dance of incongruities

Coltrane eyeing Miles playing his horn in
So What and turning away knowing
He is an unquestionable master
Or Coltrane then taking up his sax while
Miles in the wings lights a cigarette so cool
As if to accompany the genius standing center stage
Offering tribute to his art with smoky breath

When the jazz of obligations
Is put to rest by
Dexter’s tender lullabies
Calling you away from the future
Back into memory

Or when
Standing alone where you are
On the beach of your life
You acknowledge finally what matters most
Despite all the swirling incongruities
The music that is your music that is
The one thing you can count on.

___

Arya F. Jenkins is a Colombian-American poet and writer whose poems have appeared in many journals and zines, most recently, Hawaii Pacific Review. Her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She has also published poetry reviews in Cleaver Magazine, Cider Press Review, Rhino Poetry, The Poetry Cafe and Vol. 1 Brooklyn. Poetry is forthcoming in OyeDrum Magazine. In 2021, her poem “Ruin” was selected as a finalist for the Derick Burleson Poetry Prize by Choeofpleirn Press. She is the author of three poetry chapbooks, a short story collection, Blue Songs in an Open Key (Fomite Press, 2018), and a novel, Punk Disco Bohemian (NineStar Press, 2021). A second collection of short stories is due out in 2022. She has been a frequent contributor to Jerry Jazz Musician. Her first short story collection, Blue Songs in an Open Key, is comprised of select jazz-inspired stories that were featured in this publication.

Linda Murphy Marshall is a multi-linguist and writer/artist whose work has been featured in countless literary publications. Her paintings have been featured in shows at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the Loudoun Academy of the Arts Foundation (Virginia), and the Columbia Art Center (Maryland). Her painting “Mirror Mirror” was featured on the cover of Adanna Literary Journal.

Listen to the 1958 recording of “Milestones,” with Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone), Paul Chambers (bass), Red Garland (piano) and Philly Joe Jones (drums) [Columbia]