Charles Simic, Kyoto Jazz Massive, The Lady Battle
The Wooden Toy - Charles Simic
The brightly-painted horse
Had a boy's face,
And four small wheels
Under his feet,
Plus a long string
To pull him by this way and that
Across the floor,
Should you care to.
A string in-waiting
That slipped away
In many wiles
From each and every try.
*
Knock and they'll answer,
Mother told me.
So I climbed four flights of stairs
And went in unannounced.
And found a small wooden toy
For the taking
In the ensuing emptiness
And the fading daylight
That still gives me a shudder
As if I held the key to mysteries in my hand.
*
Where's the Lost and Found Department,
And the quiet entry,
The undeveloped film
Of the few clear moments
Of our blurred lives?
Where's the drop of blood
And the teeny nail
That pricked my finger
As I bent down to touch the toy
And caught its eye?
*
Evening light,
Make me a Sunday
Go-to meeting shadow
For my toy.
My dearest memories are
Steep stair-wells
In dusty buildings
On dead-end streets,
Where I talk to the walls
And closed doors
As if they understood me.
*
The wooden toy sitting pretty.
No, quieter than that.
Like the sound of eyebrows
Raised by a villain
In a silent movie.
Psst, someone said behind my back.
---
Kyoto Jazz Massive lifted my spirits considerably (Thanks burbur!). I loved how the bridge shuddered and swayed approvingly, when the band entered a zone that infected the crowd to move in dangerous ways.
---
Was at Pushin'On, and a stranger saddled up and sat down beside me with a smile. She raved about the music Chad and Scratchmark were dishing, and I told her to come down every last Friday of the month. We both gushed about Sonny Rollins (btw anyone serious about their jazz wanna catch Sonny Rollins up close?) and she revealed she was a "jazz vocalist", as if it was a real job.
"So who's your favourite female vocalist?"
"It's gotta be Ella Fitzgerald! I love her!!!"
"Oh, not bad, she's my Number Two."
"Who's your number one?"
"Billie Holiday. She shivers me."
"I see..."
But no, she didn't see. They might belong to the same category, but there's a qualitative distinction between a Lady Day and a Lady Ella diehard. All the difference in the world, as they say.
Billie Holliday - Strange Fruit
I made some excuse and left.
---
The Decemberists - The Engine Driver
http://download.yousendit.com/921F130274BABD7B
---
The brightly-painted horse
Had a boy's face,
And four small wheels
Under his feet,
Plus a long string
To pull him by this way and that
Across the floor,
Should you care to.
A string in-waiting
That slipped away
In many wiles
From each and every try.
*
Knock and they'll answer,
Mother told me.
So I climbed four flights of stairs
And went in unannounced.
And found a small wooden toy
For the taking
In the ensuing emptiness
And the fading daylight
That still gives me a shudder
As if I held the key to mysteries in my hand.
*
Where's the Lost and Found Department,
And the quiet entry,
The undeveloped film
Of the few clear moments
Of our blurred lives?
Where's the drop of blood
And the teeny nail
That pricked my finger
As I bent down to touch the toy
And caught its eye?
*
Evening light,
Make me a Sunday
Go-to meeting shadow
For my toy.
My dearest memories are
Steep stair-wells
In dusty buildings
On dead-end streets,
Where I talk to the walls
And closed doors
As if they understood me.
*
The wooden toy sitting pretty.
No, quieter than that.
Like the sound of eyebrows
Raised by a villain
In a silent movie.
Psst, someone said behind my back.
---
Kyoto Jazz Massive lifted my spirits considerably (Thanks burbur!). I loved how the bridge shuddered and swayed approvingly, when the band entered a zone that infected the crowd to move in dangerous ways.
---
Was at Pushin'On, and a stranger saddled up and sat down beside me with a smile. She raved about the music Chad and Scratchmark were dishing, and I told her to come down every last Friday of the month. We both gushed about Sonny Rollins (btw anyone serious about their jazz wanna catch Sonny Rollins up close?) and she revealed she was a "jazz vocalist", as if it was a real job.
"So who's your favourite female vocalist?"
"It's gotta be Ella Fitzgerald! I love her!!!"
"Oh, not bad, she's my Number Two."
"Who's your number one?"
"Billie Holiday. She shivers me."
"I see..."
But no, she didn't see. They might belong to the same category, but there's a qualitative distinction between a Lady Day and a Lady Ella diehard. All the difference in the world, as they say.
Billie Holliday - Strange Fruit
I made some excuse and left.
---
The Decemberists - The Engine Driver
http://download.yousendit.com/921F130274BABD7B
---