Thursday, December 13, 2012

Without You



image borrowed from bing


Without You

In your music you’re trying to play the truth of 
who you are--the reason this is difficult is because
you are changing all the time.”--Charles Mingus


Piano speaks, fingers dancing
on the black keys,
sax responds, squawking 
in every tongue, 
as the drummer finds
the heartbeat, keeping
the music on its feet,

in my buds, punctuated
by guttural gulls
and callous crows,

perched among them, sitting
on my driftwood throne,
hands deep in leather pockets,
red scarf ends flapping gently
in the cold breeze, as dark waves
crest, high & harsh, pushed
proudly by brother wind,
scowled at by sister gray skies,
there
near your cabin
reflecting raw in my Easton 
diamond flare sunglasses,
fingers popping,
head bobbing,
right foot tapping the air drum,

your compositions soaring
like blue heron across the horizon,
your creativity
shaking the wind bent trees,
stirring up the pebbly sand,
belting the beaches,
holding up the island’s britches,
preventing it from sliding back
into the slippery Salish salt,
certainly you know,
somehow you understand

that without you
we can never find
the other shoe;

without you
we are conflicted
as to what to do;

without you
even the sky refuses
to be blue.

Welcome back
song lady;
we dearly missed
your counsel,
your guidance,
your eyes
your heart;

and though the seabirds
were not silent,
the waves were far from mute,
and the wind remembered
how to howl, it all simply
lacks harmony without
your music.


Glenn Buttkus

December 2012


Posted over on dVerse Poets MTB

Would you like to hear the author read this poem to you?

11 comments:

Claudia said...

cool..i like the quote you start that with..and then of course the vividly painted music scene...the piano, sax responding, drummer finding the heartbeat...lots of passion in this..for music...for life...

Victoria said...

This is stunning, beautiful poetry, Glen. The precise details, the structure alternating use of persons, the emotion playing music just beneath the surface...ah!

Brian Miller said...

ha....the mix of music and 'without you' took me back to the motley crue song without you....def like how this changes a few stanzas in when you really grab the 2nd person voice....well played sir...

Laurie Kolp said...

You drew me in from the very start... this is lovely and so vivid.

Anonymous said...

You know what I like most about this? It's the jazz feel that the poem has, right from the mixture of instruments in the band to the song lady's music bringing it all into harmony at the close.

Anonymous said...

very beautiful.
loved the sounds and images you used... great work.

Unknown said...

Your compositions soaring... fabulous line and imagery. Details here make the scene complete.

hyperCRYPTICal said...

A truly beautiful write Glenn and a pleasure to read.

Anna :o]

Anonymous said...

Really lovely, Glen. The music ahem the lines sound like lyrics at moments, other times like the swoop of one of those callous crows. k.

Tashtoo said...

sigh....do I really have to say something? Perfection! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Excellent