06 May 2012

Paul's Sax

Music flows from me, speaks

soul to souls who hear.

Lips fit, sends brother's breath

ushered through metal chambers,

air shaped to sound, bounced

against ears, language

shared, notes

to receive.


Your notes use letters

strung to words,

widen gulfs.

Mine are kind, know

no bounds,

sing to all,

draw all

into a circle of sound.


(My music awareness started as my older brother played his alto sax. He got good as I turned to writing to 'spress myself. He opened my ears, though, to the powerful pull of music which kicked off my teenage years. It was the early 60's and the times they were a changin.)

This was sparked by the prompt "OUR Music" by Stuart McPherson over at dVerse Poets. Check it out.

18 comments:

  1. What a wonderful way to describe this instrument! 'brothers breath ushered through metal chambers'- that is very cool. Really like this because it shows a musical heritage passed down....perfect example of the power of music in terms of memory creation....and look just how much you remember- not just in terms of imagery- but emotion

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    1. It was a strong memory- together with a mental picture of my brother stretched out on the rug in front of the hifi listening to his music with his eyes closed. Made me eager for music to grab me like that.

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  2. love how your music in the end brings people together in a circle..music will def do that if we let it...music as language shared and notes received...i like the play on words in that...

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    1. My time came a couple of years after my brother but he modeled being utterly captured by it.

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  3. Music is like oxygen many days.

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  4. Lovely write, and the photo at the top is absolutely breathtaking!
    http://charleslmashburn.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/when-the-music-stops/

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    1. The photo is a view from my balcony in Italy and always sparks gratitude.

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  5. I loved the poem. I really do love the sax. Music is a great gift.

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  6. It is extraordinary how nostalgic music can make us - and indeed, poetry about music. I have enjoyed all the responses to this prompt.

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    1. I was surprised by this image flooding back from 53 years ago.

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  7. Language of the heart, either through your brother's sax, or through your words.

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  8. This is wonderful, Mary. I'm so glad to see you writing poetry again, and bringing it to the Pub.

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