Jazz on My Headphones

Eight hours or more of jazz, jazz, jazz

Loaded onto the tiny black and silver box

My whole day awaiting me as I venture out

With the soundtrack in my ears

I look up from my handlebars as I ride

And suddenly realize

That everything is poetry…

 

The violet chorus of a million birds, singing

The long grey skyline looming before me

The shiny glass and metal of the passing cars

The cracks in the pavement as I pass along

The long, thin-hipped girls walking by in summer clothes

With their large sunglasses and flowing hair

The winking street signals that beckon from the distance

The tree-lined streets and quiet neighbourhoods

The ancient houses that stand guard as I pass

The ink on my fingers and hands as I print

The ink on my gloves as I pull skin taut

The laughter of my friends in casual conversation

The sweat on the can of cola as it drips down its sides

The smoke as it rises from the glowing end of my cigarette

The gentle breeze as it passes through leaves and branches

The smell of Great Lake Ontario as it wafts through the town

Even my cats that now gently purr and prance at my feet

They have all become poetry to my ears and eyes

 

And the music keeps swirling around it all

In my ears

In my headphones

In my soul

 

Author's Note

Thanks to everyone for your kind reviews! I am also honoured to have this poem listed as Featured Work of the Week at the Vicious Circle!

Reviews

[Damian Alan Gray]

This is incredible! WOW! James, you've truly outdone yourself. Jazz on My Headphones is the absolute epitome of summertime bliss, and the read was a great way to begin the warm season. Really great work, and certainly my favorite from you yet. Which is saying a lot, considering how much I enjoy your other work.

[David Lewis Paget]

A celebration of life, and how great it is to be alive. You manage to involve the reader in this sudden awakening, reminding us that we only have to open our eyes and really look, instead of allowing everything to pass us by, unobserved. I'm no fan of free-form as you know, but I give you kudo's for this, because it reminds me of what it was like to be young - and it was good to be young! Yes, everything is poetry, if we but had the wit to see! I think it's your best yet!

[lady o]

This is a wonderful piece of writing, I flowed through it wanting more. thank you for the read~

[Damian Alan Gray]

Congratulations! Jazz on My Headphones has been chosen as the Featured Work of the Week at the Vicious Circle!

[Joy C]

When I was reading the poem, I felt that I can totally relate to it.l I also like to start off my days by listening to music on the way to school. It transfers me to a magical world where everything can be praised by poets. Your observation skills are good. There are so many details in this poem, from the neighborhood to a can of coke. I was in the same place as you when reading it. Nice work.

[windmill]

BADASS.

Bad. F*****g. A*s.


You mean to tell me that you, sir, were riding a bicycle and listening to jazz?? (possibly Even Funnier: a motorcycle + jazz... dunno... some jazz is killer, but that just doesn't compute. and a tattoo artist also, no less... haha. giving you a hard time, but it's freaking awesome, it is.)

I have to wonder about line starting with 'with' in the second stanza. It's the only one that doesn't begin with 'the,' and the girls are the only items that receive extra attention. Well... Girls usually deserve extra attention, but as for the surrounding form, it doesn't fit the way it begs to.

That said: if you didn't have that in there, I'd be wondering why you used 'the' so many times. (still wondering, though...)


Haha... I'm fickle, yes I am.
Oh well.

Some of the descriptions in stanza2 are amazing.




Whee~

[darkgurl]

This is just plain wonderful, wonderful piece of poetry, throughly enjoyed.

[emz]

It's almost as if you woke up one morning and saw the world with brand new eyes... i loved this poem... full of life and joy and observation.. xx

[Tara]

I enjoyed this write filled with your thought and the sounds of life. This is when I believe we become poets ...when we realize that it is all poetry. Well done!

[Kees Kapteyn]

This is the best poem I've seen from you yet, James! Everything is definitely poetry- everything has a resonance to it that affects you and is worthy of writing about because it's your perception that you're expressing. And I was right there in your head as I was reading this- you're a conduit to the page for the world. More stuff like this please!