You could hear it through the night at Minton’s,
winding around some old tune of the man’s,
pushing the envelope, sound just hinting
at more changes than the ear could stand,
biting back at the harsh words and small talk
about equality. The cool was birthed
by black coffee, while its parents walked
the streets seeking a rhythm, now unearthed
and tracing its roots to the motherland.
Emancipation was not just a word
for politicians and the poor Negro,
true liberation was there at hand,
bopping those few notes between Satch and Bird,
making it real by saying it was so.
06 MAR 2003
for LJ user gurdonark
