Friday, May 6, 2011

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