A Grey Day

Today.  The streets are wet, puddles lingering waiting for a tire to splash them away.  The wind is blowing through ripping off the last few remaining yellow leaves clinging on to the branches.  Determined little leaves having made it through the winter.  A slow day.  A day for refection.  A day for writing.  No words of wisdom from me. 


I leave you with the slow, whiskey soaked words of my favorite poem written by Langston Hughes.  You can feel the heat of the South.  The sweat sliding down your neck.  Smell the cigarette smoke swirling around your head.  Eyes closed, you sway back and forth, listening to the thick, raspy baritone of pain and sadness.   




The Weary Blues


Droning a drowsy syncopated tune, 
Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon, 
I heard a Negro play. 
Down on Lenox Avenue the other night 
By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light 
He did a lazy sway .... 
He did a lazy sway .... 
To the tune o' those Weary Blues. 
With his ebony hands on each ivory key 
He made that poor piano moan with melody. 
O Blues! 
Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool 
He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool. 
Sweet Blues! 
Coming from a black man's soul. 
O Blues! 
In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone 
I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan-- 
"Ain't got nobody in all this world, 
Ain't got nobody but ma self. 
I's gwine to quit ma frownin' 
And put ma troubles on the shelf." 

Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor. 
He played a few chords then he sang some more-- 
"I got the Weary Blues 
And I can't be satisfied. 
Got the Weary Blues 
And can't be satisfied-- 
I ain't happy no mo' 
And I wish that I had died." 
And far into the night he crooned that tune. 
The stars went out and so did the moon. 
The singer stopped playing and went to bed 
While the Weary Blues echoed through his head. 
He slept like a rock or a man that's dead. 
       

Comments

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said…
I got yelled at by my creative writing professor for spelling gray with an "e". He said, "That's the British spelling of gray and what country are you living in?" I replied, "The U.S.A." He then said, "Well then spell it with an "a" and not an "e". You can do differently when you relocate to England."

I just thought I'd throw that in there because of the way you spelled gray in the title. :) And that's a nice poem.
February 25, 2011 at 12:52 PM
Laura M. Campbell said…
Your professor has a point, but I don't stay within the lines. I'm a natural dissenter. Besides, I felt the "e" captured the gloom of the day better than the "a". The "a" is just too happy for me.
February 25, 2011 at 3:37 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Insecure Writer's Support Group:Overwhelmed

Image
Source My road trip to Boston at the end of August arrived just in time to relieve me from the constant head banging on the wall between me and my writing, blogging and freelance career. The permanent knot on my forehead, bald patches and a jaw that clicks every time I open my mouth has transformed me into a monster you might catch in the dark alleyways of Gotham City. I overdosed on advice in writing magazines, on writing-related websites and blogs. If you peek through the windows, you catch me wandering around the house strung out, too jittery to sit down at my laptop. As an information junkie, I hoarded writing techniques, strategies and prompts. I shoved them into every available space in my writing toolbox, reminding me of an overly prepared-style of packing. Overstuffed. I would sit on the lid to force it shut if it weren’t for the motivational quotes spilling over the sides keeping me from latching the damn thing. Then I come across an article contradicting the no
Read more

L is for Location, Location, Location

Image
Source Readers look to novels to escape reality. An author’s words take them to distant lands. But a well-described location can do more than just take the reader on a trip away from home. It plays an important role in creating atmosphere and describing characters. The strength of location in a story transforms the setting into another character. Characters and setting rely heavily on one another not only to create images in the minds of readers, but also to describe each other.  A character reveals information about a setting. Their traits lead them to specific towns, cities, bars, schools, etc. A well-developed character personality can create the milieu. An uptight individual probably lives in a very neat and organized apartment. A character concerned with the environment might have a vegetable garden planted in the back with a recycling bin and compost heap. A young, single girl might feel stuck in family-oriented suburbia. Now, the same can
Read more

E is for Erasure Poetry

Image
rattle.com April is National Poetry Month . So, I thought I'd give  erasure poetry  a try. I chose an article about dating and race in The Philadelphia Inquirer .  Reading through the article, I underlined words that caught my eye. Then, I created a poem and title from my found words. Unfortunately, it was easier to type the words than scan the article. Enjoy! Talk About Dating First contact          Attitudes affect the messages Cut off from the real world          See the imbalance Healthy partners          Work together, no exclusions
Read more