This Mozart-themed poem is so beautiful and thought-provoking, Prince. It deserves to be in a separate thread. I hope some of our new LitNutters get to read this exemplary post.
Thanks so much for re-posting it!
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This Mozart-themed poem is so beautiful and thought-provoking, Prince. It deserves to be in a separate thread. I hope some of our new LitNutters get to read this exemplary post.
Thanks so much for re-posting it!
Inspired by Save a Prayer by Duran Duran
We danced beneath the lamplight in the rain
eyes far away
your smile fades
one last
glance.
I like this, but trying to guess which "Lenny." Not Mr. Bruce (though he must've recorded some of his monologues), and probably not Maestro Bernstein (West Side Story, the little-known Trouble in Tahiti, and my personal fave, On the Town, not to mention his great canon of classical music, among which his Mass is the absolute best. I really don't think it's Lenny Tristano, either (I'm a jazz fan, but he was a little out-there for me.)
Originally I'm guessed it was Lenny Kravitz rockin' out of the SUV. But I saw an earlier poem of yours on this thread about
Leonard Cohen. That's the guy! Canadian, right? A lyricist whose songs go all the way back to the 1960s. "Suzanne" --
I remember the "tea and oranges" from that one.
Why don't you try to access his "Facebook" page and post your original poem?
Thanks for commenting on this Auntie. I wrote 90% of this in about 15 minutes right after doing just what it says. I'm glad you asked about who Lenny was. It is typically a man's name and I unconsciously put him in S1 L6. It should be her. I may have been days noticing that had you not drawn my attention to it. I know you like jazz; you can listen to this and Riviera Paradise on You Tube. They are both amazing. From Wikipedia:
"Lenny" is the tenth and final track on the first Stevie Ray Vaughan album Texas Flood. The song is in 4/4 time and notated in the key of E major (but instruments are tuned down a half-step). It is played very slowly and freely, with Vaughan alternating between jazz-inflected chords and solo runs. The style is influenced by Jimi Hendrix ballads like "Little Wing" and "Angel". The song itself was written and named for his wife at the time, Lenora. Vaughan also named one of his guitars "Lenny", which he used to play this song and also "Riviera Paradise". The song was often played at live shows.
I never saw this thread before. I have one from a while back. Song was Beautiful Girl, performed by Pat Monahan / INXS.
stay with me
he says something
I ignore him
it’s late
and then he sings
like his life depends on it
that gets my attention
my full attention
slowly I lie on the floor
my eyes fixating on him
he takes a step forward
throws his head down
now he's almost over me
stay with me he says
his fists tighten
the mike screams
but he screams louder
stay stay stay with me
pleeeease stay
stay with me
he’s relentless
and I'm feeling helpless
staaaay with me he says
I melt
I’m a puddle
of warm chocolate fudge
flowing towards his feet
he’s my new reality
on the other side
of the plasma screen
"he's relentless and I'm feeling helpless..." You have captured how a song can capture us, Haunted!
Thanks Qim. Saw it on tv, I tried to convey the passion in the performance but I don't think this did justice. A good exercise though.
This next number was dredged up from April, 2008. It's a pantoum with a musical theme.
Lester Young (1909-1959) had changed completely the earlier style of saxophone with his laid-back, “cooler” sound. Billie Holiday had bestowed upon him the nickname which expressed his prominence in the jazz world: “The President” or “Prez.” “Yardbird” or just “Bird” were the nicknames of Charlie Parker (1925-1955.) “Giant Steps” (1957) was the innovatiove composition by saxophonist John Coltrane (1926-1967.)
More Sax, No Violins, and a Little Bit o’ Blues
These footprints which dwarf the feet of giants
were made by Lester, Yardbird, and Coltrane.
It doesn’t take the scrutiny of science
to see these tracks and hear how the driving strains
were made. By Lester, Yardbird, and Coltrane,
old fossils sometimes seem like steps made new.
See these tracks? Hear how the driving strains
let us bring past fantasy into view.
Old fossils sometimes seem like steps made new.
The pounding feet get us in the groove.
Let’s bring past fantasy into view.
Their riffs broke rocks; they caused the earth to move
these pounding feet. Get us in the groove!
It doesn’t take some scrutiny of science.
Their riffs broke rocks. They caused the earth to move
these footprints which dwarf the feet of giants.
I don't think I've seen this thread before, Auntie. I'm not quite so familiar with pantoums and I take it you weren't adhering strictly to iambic pentameter as the syllable count varies a bit between lines. You also seem to have been forced to stretch the syntax a bit:
"By Lester, Yardbird, and Coltrane,
old fossils sometimes seem like steps made new."
simpy changing By to With would make the sentance flow more easily, but then the pattern would be wrong. Hellish difficult to do these. It's a good read anyway. cudos.
Live and be well - H
The following poem is inspired by the LDS hymn "High on the Mountain Top" https://www.lds.org/music/library/hy...n-top?lang=eng
I've been working on my first villanelle forever and finally ended up making my tercets all haikus, hence new-villanelle or Villanellenueva in my title. Since the villanelle is French and the Haiku Japanese of course I used a Spanish word to tack on the end of villanelle.
Villanellenueva: Redeem the Dead
The dead's work begun
All praise the Restoration
God, thy will be done
We are chosen; we
the children of election
The dead's work begun
Righteous agency
As we seek His perfection
God, thy will be done
Hope, faith, charity
Gospel truths: Resurrection
The dead's work begun
Praise be God's glory
Sons and daughters of Zion
God, thy will be done
Temple work: Sacred duty
That all may be sealed as one
The dead's work begun
God, thy will be done
4/21/2016
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY
Nice combination of haiku and villanelle, or villanellenueva. I would not have thought something like that could be done.
Thanks.
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY
Inspired by "America the Beautiful" - Text: Katherine Lee Bates, 1859-1929 / Music: Samuel A. Ward, 1848-1903
It started as a Minimalist Poetry Contest entry and grew from there.
The story we all know, or do we ?:
Independence: A Devotion (L 9&10 in part from Isaiah 29:14 KJV)
Bravely continental daffodils fought
against an absent porphyric king deep
in debt: Thirteen colonies hard pressed; sub-
jected to five Intolerable Acts
Still our founding fathers, those artful
traitors, did offer a writ: The Olive
Branch Petition to the inadept king;
nearly abrogating every gain
And yet, 'tis a marvelous work and a
wonder as to how, or why, deity
deigned this fecund land to such a ragtag-
bobtailed people as our forefathers
May we celebrate this independence
with deference to our Lord, the one
true architect of this our nation:
Pray for His spirit to abide with us
6/18/2016
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY
I didn't realize that King George (I think that was his name) was deep in debt but that sort of makes sense.
Inspired by the Primary song "Jesus Once Was a Little Child"... https://www.lds.org/music/library/ch...?lang=eng&_r=1
2-days in January 2019
This Sunday I sang with the choir
searching mightily
for notes from on high - and
later witnessed the baptism of a child
full of purity and bless'd;
awash with Jesus' light
The following day a memorial
for a dear friend who had won the good fight...
and Family Home Evening! with friends
of like-minded devotion -
discussing our Savior
who too was once a little child
Once home after I took off my shoes to unwind
(and mindlessly putting them back on for reasons
I have yet to fathom)
... I pondered
1/15/2019
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY
Poems inspired by music. How about that?
Posted one in the All Haikus are Welcome thread today.
Attended the memorial for the daughter of a good friend/family from church yesterday. She was 1-year older than my daughter and attended the same high school. She lived an exemplary gospel life and was called home early at age 45 due to cancer. Another friend of ours, a professional singer/keyboardist, sang the John Mayer song noted (she adored John Mayer's performances), hence the posting.
Yet one more memorial soon (sigh)... for my nephew (non-covid).
Thanks for the inspiration !
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY
Sorry to learn that!