Tag Archives: New York

The Harlem Renaissance

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

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Life Beyond the Tunnel

I want to tell you there is whole new world
beyond the concrete labyrinth that walls
in what you know; the snaking paths that curl
you so tightly in their grip as night falls,

keeping you safe and secure in your home,
where you can isolate your life from strange
sights, from mystic visions, and never roam
more than a few steps out of your warm cage.

Yes, there is life past the Holland tunnel
(no, the world doesn’t stop with the city),
but you must brave a few steps in the dark

and force your grand notions through this funnel,
learn to appreciate the rubes you pity,
and trade in your bright lights for lonely sparks.

20 FEB 2003

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