JAZZ HARLEM RENAISSANCE BABYDOLL


Jazz Harlem Renaissance Babydoll
does the music mold your face
like a mask of mink desires
and rainbow butterfly wings
or does your face
shield the heated heart of the music
when your lips diddly-be-bop-sweet
like Ella Fitzgerald swing-singing
back-up and up-front, catching
God’s Coltranic future love supreme
as if making it up yourself?

Jazz Harlem Renaissance Babydoll
I saw your favorite saxophone strip you
naked. And what was love gonna do
except beg to lick those crazy solos
straight off your throat. I saw you
twirl A-flats like swords
on the tip of the tongue of your tears
until E refused to equal Mc squared
and Einstein’s gorgeous silver afro
crackled “Blow your soul-horn Jazz Babydoll
and don’t you take jive for no answer!
Said swing that horn and take not jive for thine answer!”

Jazz Harlem Renaissance Babydoll
you inhaled seven known planets
and out of your creation came
four billion heavens.
Each time you exhale a star
I recall a previous life
and I comprehend flawlessly
the trigonometric bolts of rhythm
that shoot from your hips to your lips.
Shall we do the be-bop Lindy-hop waltz
and dance Josephine Baker
laughing out of her grave?
Let’s do the be-bop Lindy-hop waltz
diddly-dee diddly-be-bop-too-sweet
and give all these poets something to rhyme about.

By Aberjhani (© 10/1/2005)
Author of I MADE MY BOY OUT OF POETRY
And ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

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