after Alice Coltrane’s harp solo 1970 Under the waterfall music’s cataract streams down hands a flurry of grace fingers cast spells deftly move among strings pull sound out—head tilted watch the winged notes lift and fly coaxes each reverberation she could be in a wood summoning angels to dance or Alice Tully Hall showing the white folks she can fix jazz like gumbo like shellfish after the shucking on an instrument so old pharaohs heard it and David played one too his music medicine for a king John was dead three years I wish he could listen the way I do bathe in his wife's onslaught once more but this is my history month And while I'm on this grave’s side every month will be Black history I’ve got nothing else to do I'm coming with a shovel I'm coming with a spade to unearth what's long buried I might find diamonds, I might hit oil
Ellen June Wright consulted on guides for three PBS poetry series. Her work has been featured by Verse Daily, Rappahannock Review, The Good Life Review, Passengers Journal, Scoundrel Times, Banyan Review, and others. She’s a Cave Canem and Hurston/Wright alumna and a 2021 and 2022 Pushcart Prize nominee.
Introducing audio! Starting tomorrow, March 1, you will now be able to listen to the poets read their poems out loud by clicking on the audio file, located underneath the printed version. Enjoy our new feature!
3/6 / Meet the Artist with visiting poet-in-residence Keetje Kuipers / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 6:00 pm EST / Free
3/6 / Poetry Reading with visiting poet-in-residence Keetje Kuipers + local writer Julie Marie Wade / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 7:30 pm EST / Free
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Great poem for this leap year day! May Black History always extend beyond the frame of a month. I really love the last two stanzas, especially! Forceful. Thank you for this poem.
Beginning with the waterfall, this poem creates such vivid pictures. The reverent tone and passion for the Coltranes sent me straight to my playlist. ❤️