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Nate Chinen: On the Eve of John Coltrane’s 70th Birthday

May 20, 2011 by PBQ

and what is this that
what is what is this that
this that holds us
together keeps the morning
after lover the springtime
walking a fine line the
other guy the someday my
two hips the smoking on the
bus choking like the too hip
junkie the wise one the always
transcendent ultraviolet
incandescent the yes
the poet on their feet on
the sidewalks of every small
town metropolis this side of
tell me how they all came
around how they keep
from skidding free of
words can only get
worse hope lies here oh
god who moves in
music and in stillness in
motion and in
motionlessness the blues
remain long after dark
only the shape and size
comes from the next
high the round and round
tonight eternal equinox
a woman growing
older every growing older
every older every day
the chant the always the
ommm the next the next the
pursuance of a
voice a fluid cry a
song cry a song a
reaching out reaching
inside the song is you the
soaring over the bar
lines over the fat cat
smacktrap backdoor
slimehole sinnership into
and what is this that
what is what is this that
holds the psalm.

Filed Under: Contributors 63, Issue 63, Poetry, Poetry 63 Tagged With: Contributors 63, Nate Chinen, Poetry, Poetry 63

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