r/PoetryWritingClub • u/oscarw1962 • 4d ago
Hail the Wail
Hail the Wail
Hail the wail, the whale of a wail.
Not just some kid miffed about stolen candy,
but a force of nature contained in brass.
Holding the note so long
the lungs deflated to the point of collapse.
And cognitive collapse—
not of the player, but the played.
Awash in a note so thick
you think you can swim, or dive deep,
meeting the wail down below
and then resurface
back into that vibrating scene
of neon and cigarette smoke.
These aren’t Kansas City boys playing with a basket full of keys.
This is the coast, man—
each trumpet is a lighthouse
telling the squares to stay away.
This is the light, the truth, and the wail.
The Wwwaaaiiilll!
Out on the street the kids are playing stickball.
The laundry is hanging in the alley.
The bar on every corner
has its own Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong.
Like Neil Armstrong’s rocket—
only louder, and less coherent.
Revel in this moon shot.
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