This score’s for you.
None of that silent reading please,
move your mouth and loose those chords.
This gig is made for jumpin’ jive
words like notes, should come alive
Drum set movin’ stickin’ strong
keh-nock that rim
keh-nock, keh-nock
keh-nockin’ smooth and stickin’ strong.
Brushes swishing smoothing so
brushing brushing softly go.
Brushing cymbals smoothly now
brushing brushing, soon to splash.
Two feet pumping work the set
bouncing, grooving rhythms’ beat.
High hat moving by the left,
bopping bass drum boomed by right.
Trumpet blaring bleating high
sax is sobbing, crooning low.
Clarinet steps up to lead,
fingers pop and swing that reed.
Trombone arm moves in and out
o-o-o-o-zing up
and o-o-o-o-zing down,
gliding in and sliding out.
Pedal pumping, player plunking
blacks and whites bring pure delight.
Fingers fly then magically join
chords crescendo, conclude the jam.
So come my friends and keep it movin’
snap your fingers, sway your way.
Don’t just sit there silently still,
find your groove to rock your day.
I’m hosting Tuesday Poetics over at dVerse today, the virtual pub for poets. Asking folks how they feel today. Suggesting that they find their groove somehow and create a poem of any form, that uses the word “groove” or a derivation of the word. Come join us! Pub opens at 3 PM Boston time.
lillian the home poet 
Marvelous! 😎🥀
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Glad you enjoyed! Have a groovy day 🙂
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I love the dance…. this would have worked so well for jazz poetry as well. The alliterations are perfect.
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Somehow I missed seeing your comment???? I had fun writing this game ne😊🎼
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Very lively and pumping with energy and music of pure delight ~ Definitely need this lightness against our winter grey clouds Lillian ~
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Always happy to jive with folks! 🙂 Happiness is. . . a groovy invitation!
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This could be jazzy, jitterbuggy or even hip-hoppy, Lill! I have a strong image of a Saturday night bop!
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Hah! Fun…..maybe even going way back to my early days and a sock hop! Or how about sitting in a jazz club and listening to those brushes … smooth jazz maybe? Glad you enjoyed.
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I agree: “words like notes, should come alive” Silent reading misses much of the pleasure of words.
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🙂 Well this one is definitely meant to be read aloud. Hope dVerse readers heed the first stanza and do read aloud. That’s the fun of it! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed, Frank.
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There’s a really happy rhythm to this one. You can’t read it and not smile.
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Always happy to hand out smiles 🙂
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🙂
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I read it aloud, sang it, shouted it ! It is not just a jazz poem, it is jazz–anything else would fall short–terrific rhythms and onamonapia–love the line /black and whites bring pure delight/–which not only works for the piano, but doubles as the ethnicity of the musicians.
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Hah! You got the line, my friend! And yes — I was imagining a jazz group in a club. My son was a drummer and a pianist. He started on a drum pad when he was in kindergarten and I cut circles into halves, quarters etc to explain the “notes” on the drum scores (not a, b, g etc). When he moved to the full drum set, we had it in our bedroom, next to our waterbed and a very large three keyboard electronic organ, which our daughter played. The grand piano was downstairs in the family room. We put the drum set in our bedroom as we were afraid his grade school friends would think it was a “toy” and whale on it! By 5th grade, I was taking him to the junior high (7th and 8th grade) to be the drummer for their swing choir (pianist was a grad student from the university). So I really know how that trap set works 🙂 So glad you enjoyed! AND recognized it as a jazz poem.
We’ll be in NC to see my son this coming weeknd for an early Christmas….his daughter is in 5th grade and their grade school is very into “slam” poetry — we just used to call it reading aloud! I guess it’s taken off since rap music became popular? I sent her the poem….hoping to hear her read it aloud 🙂
GLAD you enjoyed!
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This is so much fun! I love the way the words are so active and make me want to dance.
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Feel free to put on your dancing shoes! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
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What a rockin” good poem, you had me jiving!!!
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Always glad to provide the music if folks pick up the jive 🙂
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Ok, Lillian. …I’ll just catch my breath for a minute. (Twerking after the age of 45 ain’t for the faint-hearted 😨.) I’m here at your groove….and yes, a mature pace as I click my fingers, move my feet and sway to that sax😌
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Oh Vivian — I think that some day we must meet!!!! 🙂 🙂 And I am welllllllll past 45 but am certain I can twerk with my hubby quite well out on the dance floor. In fact, we’ll be on back-to-back cruises the entire month of January (S. America; Antarctica and the Falkland Islands). We first went on a cruise about six years ago and thought we would hate it…we discovered a) it’s a great way to see parts of the world you wouldn’t otherwise see — and explore them in excursions — we never choose the hop on the bus for a “panoramic” tour, rather pick the ones marked “strenuous” and thus have hiked to the top of an extinct volcano in Iceland, and to the foot of a glacier in Alaska; and b) discovered there is live music until midnight every night. We LOVE to dance and get out there late at night with the young uns! 🙂 Although, I think this year we might call it a night at 10:30 or 11! 🙂
So glad you’re swayin’ to the sac here 🙂
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Amazing! I’m a traveller at heart and the scenes you describe are just beyond great. You know what? I think you should dance all nights away!
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I think I like the sobbing sax. a great piece of work. XXX
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So glad you enjoyed, Alison. I’ll tell the sax player! 🙂
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Oh My! Hot Damn, love this jam, you know jazz, gotta have me another cool, cool read because I’m pretty sure this is the cat – cat- cat-e-ous thing EVER!
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Oh Jilly…..you always make me smile. So very glad you enjoyed! You make me feel young again! ❤ Thank you!
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This begs to be read aloud, Lil. Wonderful.
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Yep — I was hoping folks would jive with me! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed.
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I love the rhythmic beat you have going in this poem! Well done Lillian! ❤
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Thank you…..the goal was to have folks jive with me! 🙂
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I could tell you were feeling groovy when you wrote this one! It fairly sings and dances on its own.
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Always good to get folks groovin’ with me! 🙂 I do think I was a Rockette in a former life 🙂
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Love the sound of those brushes, definitely a read-aloud! 🙂
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Thanks! So glad you enjoyed. I loved the sound of the brushes on the trap set….and the knocking of the drum sticks on the rim of the snare drum too. 🙂
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Sounds like you have found a jumpin’ juke joint!
Dwight
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Hah….remember the old juke boxes? And the diners that had the minijukes on the tables and you flipped the tabs to get to the songs you wanted? Yep…they were fun!
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How fun, and lively and groovy!
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Always happy to add some energy and liviliness to the world…….those jazz guys can really scat and riff! 🙂
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I am tickling the ivories over this one, strum strum strumming the guitar, letting the brass move my toes, tap tap tapping and jiving all the way! Way cool!!
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Hah! Glad to get your toes a tappin’ 🙂
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Love this very delightful piece, Lillian! Thanks for hosting. 😀
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Thanks, Maria. I always enjoy hosting and reading all the different ways people connect with my prompt. Lots of groovin’ today and yesterday! 🙂
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There is such vibrant energy in this. I can literally feel the groove. Beautiful rhythm as well. Thanks for that inspiring prompt and beautiful poem Lilian
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So very glad you enjoyed! 🙂
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definitely a positive groove. i could tell you’ve been blissfully dancing.
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Hah — I do love to dance! Always fun to get folks in the groove! 🙂
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Don’t just sit there silently still,
find your groove to rock your day.
Great jamming and grooving to relive the wonderful young days. Thanks for the memories Lillian!
Hank
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My folks used to go to the Aragon Ball Room in North Chicago, IL or perhaps it was Grayslake….near the military base. They dressed up and there were always live bands. What an era! 🙂
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Loved it.
Sure did get me swaying even though I just got into bed
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Fun — always glad to get folks swaying and laughin’ and jivin’ 🙂
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Nice bebop rhythms to this piece.
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That’s what I was hoping for — especially if folks read it aloud 😉
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Lots of energy in this. I can see the drummer locked in that groove….oh the rhythm of it. Nicely done, Lillian.
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Thanks — my son was great on the drum set and I always enjoyed watching him use all four limbs to get out those fantastic rhythms! 🙂
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Sounds like it was a very lively household☺. It is facinating to watch them use all limbs for sure.
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perfect for my dancing feet.. loved swaying to your words here
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Smiling I am! Always happy to provide some dancin’ words!
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I read your work now and then, and some of it is crazy good. I mean this piece is so different. And I remember reading a prayer of thankfulness too, which had a softer, gentler cadence to it.
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So glad you enjoyed! Nice to see you here 😊
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