Thelonius prowls stage
edges while
the drummer
drills a solo
jigs back backwards
to the bench
spreads fingers
stares at them
ripples an arpeggio
see-saw fall
clunks two
notes at once
stops
for the cymbals
walks behind curtains
comes back
outlines a snake spine
of notes stops
walks out maybe
gone maybe.
—
Denise Low, a Kansas Poet Laureate, is award-winning blogger and author of 25 books, including Jackalope and Mélange Block. Her memoir Turtle’s Beating Heart is forthcoming, Univ. of Nebraska Press. Low is past board president of AWP. She has an MFA, Wichita St. Univ., and Ph.D, Univ. of Kansas. www.deniselow.net
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