I Didn’t Know About You

“I Didn’t know about you”

Until

Flying Solo

I heard your song

Singing to me

The sweet melody

Of “Ruby My Dear.”

I thought I had glimpsed

Something of heaven above;

I was so in love

With the

“Trinkle, Tinkle”

Of notes

On floats

Carrying chords of play sailing into the day

Like lights

Spinning ‘round

To “Epistrophy” heights

Up

Over

Beyond

Heady fueled trips

Into wistful reflections

Driven by flights

Of whimsical fantasy

To “Straight…” ways

And gateways

“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.”

Through

To the “Underground’

Of the true “Blue

Monk”

I Didn’t know about you

About this being your story;

This being your song

“Praising the Savior all the day long...”

Swinging on “Locomotive” rhythms

“Off  ‘F’ Minor”

With Coltrane’s tenor sax

Playing in back

To fly me to the moon

       (Like when I hear Arthur Prysock croon)

I get “Nutty”

Gliding “Alone in San Francisco

Dreaming “Monk’s Dreams”

In “Light blue”

Off shore streams

From Riley drums and Gales bass modes

To wind-swept piano keys

Stirring …”No chaser”

In the mix of sweet water sifted

In the glass

Of a cool jazzed

“Japanese folk song”

Exploring

Tempos

And textures

Measured in rhythmic paces

And countered beats

Under the “Pannonica” tree top

“In Action at the Five Spot”

“Round midnight”

Or “After Hours at Minton’s”

In the dim café light

Over coffee and cigarettes

Smoky hue.

I didn’t know about you

But now

“We see”

The thunder pops

The lightning shocks;

Waves rushing in

Against the tide

Of contemporary exhibitions.

With the inhibitions

Of “Well, You Needn’t”

Standing aside

“Crepuscule with Nellie”

To let the wind-storm

Come ashore

And blow

With the sand and seas

Under the tutelage

Of lithe fingers on piano keys

High and low

In red and blue degrees

Of syncopation and exploration

Into the deep

Improvisations

Twist

Up tempo

To break

And stop short

On some faraway cue.

I didn’t  know about you

Even though

I heard you play

I knew your name.

But that was in another day

Long ago

When

I knew you when.

But since then

I came closer

Near

And put your fingertips

To my ear

When you called my name

Out loud

To hear

“Functional”s bluesy hymnal

Taking me back

To when I wuz

A girl barefooted in my backyard

In the southern Georgia dust.

I must

Replay it again and again

Like I do

With “Ruby My Dear.”

They bring you in so near -

Encircling the “Brilliant Corners” of your ingenious mind.

“The Essential… “

“The Unique…”

“All the Things You Are.”

My Thelonious!

So this is

My song

To you

(Dedicated to Thelonious Monk)

Note:  Light italics – Title of a musical number

          Bold italics --  Title of album (in some cases may also be a musical number)