I AM JAZZ

Let me tell you a secret- 

something that the passers-by

who glance at me with pity

strewn baldly across their faces

at the sight of my limping gait

never guess at...

I love this walk.

I love the syncopated,

off-kilter rhythm

that only I can generate, 

I move like a jazz tune. 

The unique geography 

of my hips, spine and ankles in action

creates a deliciously awkward sway

I’ve learned to revel in.  

No apologies.

No culturally sanctioned insecurities.

I am jazz in motion.

In me Be-bop, hip-hop, and rap take physical form.

 this body is tangential, free form,

dysrhythmic

not linear or easy

to grasp.

A little out of fashion

Or maybe never in fashion

Not music for the masses

The top forty consumers

I am a non conformist

body genre of one.

That for me

And that rare, perceptive other
who knows how to listen to the beat

Of my own personal drum,

Is the wellspring

Of beauty, sensuality and pride.

I am jazz.

Author's Note

This is a significantly revised and edited version of this poem.

Reviews

[sereenaoutloud]

amazing. This was beautiful and inspiring. Taking a disability and seeing the beauty in it. I can relate and am in awe at your positivity. "who glance at me with pity" i have experienced this.
"I move like a jazz tune" Love it.

[Shari Robinson]

Thank you!