Poem for Shamarr Allen

Another oldie getting added to the blog:

For Shamarr Allen at DBA June 7, 2007

I have no defense against

a trumpet that rages

from tender to tempest

in the blink of an eye

And I can't tell 

if those brass bends

are filled with heaven

or a hurricane

What kind of grace

does it take to blow 

notes like that

into a soul

Notes that breathe

a wicked fire

that smells like

desire and satisfaction

That tempt and forgive

and tease and lay bare all

the naked beauty

of a single note

hanging

in the air

it's more than just a show

it's more than just a show 

Copyright © 2007 Melissa Lewis

Poem for Paul Sanchez

I don't know how this didn't wind up in my blog before, but here it is. I suspect there's an updated version floating around here somewhere, but I can't find it at the moment.



For Paul Sanchez at DBA June 7, 2007

Rolling along
with the good times
this songwriter's shine
has enslaved me

might be the only
thing that can save me
from the parched dryness
of my wordless places

This storyteller's stage
is an oasis where even a poet
can feast on something
besides her own lonely phrases

and the room is
all but empty
and the stage is
all but bare

and there is desperation
in my inspiration
and it comes with
a melancholy aftertaste

But this is the only place
for poets tonight
beneath the lights
or at the bar

and here I am
and there you are


Copyright © 2007 Melissa Lewis