I’m a Fool to Love YouBy Cornelius EadySome folks will tell you the blues is a woman,Some type of supernatural creature.My mother would tell...LoveBreak-ups & Vexed LoveRealistic & ComplicatedSocial CommentariesGender & SexualityRace & EthnicityLivingMarriage & CompanionshipRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsMen & WomenArts & SciencesMusicMetersFree VerseTechniquesImageryMetaphor + 11 more
p1Ode to a Dolly Parton Drag QueenBy Bruce SniderShe lip-syncs “Hello God,” then “9 to 5.” She struts. Or does she fly? Like the soul, a rhinestone, ...Social CommentariesPopular CultureTown & Country LifeArts & SciencesMusicTypes/ModesOde
p1Charlie ParkerBy Frank Marshall DavisWho named him Yard Bird? He was a homing pigeon With no home to fly to Sky unlimited Route uncharted...Arts & SciencesMusic
p1Lady DayBy Frank Marshall DavisHer rum-brown rope of a voice Fastens flannel strands Around soft sides of staid notes Sitting properly...Arts & SciencesMusic
p1Bill FrisellBy Bruce BondI played a folk song once so long into the night it came apart. I was a child. Clouds passed. Their ...Arts & SciencesMusic
p1One Night ZZ Hill Sang at the Club TupeloBy Angela JacksonThe night ZZ Hill sang at the Club Tupelo on the Westside of Chicago he was built like a heavyweight...Arts & SciencesMusic
p1Mahler—Son Borne of the Street SongBy Juan Felipe Herrerain the darkness in the exile—there is a sigh, a number 9 there is a son borne of the street song, the...Arts & SciencesMusic
p1Her DreamsBy Nikki GiovanniMommy always wanted To be famous She would have us (my sister and me) Sing In all the talent shows But...RelationshipsFamily & AncestorsArts & SciencesMusic
Santo Domingo Feast DayBy Robin BeckerThink of the fox skins belted to the backs of the dancers at Santo Domingo Pueblo, a thousand fox skins...ActivitiesTravels & JourneysArts & SciencesMusicTheater & DanceGratitude
p1ClarinetBy Chera HammonsApart, we are two quiet things: a person and an instrument. I in my body, the clarinet in its case. ...LivingThe BodyThe MindArts & SciencesMusicJoy & ContentmentArts & CultureBeing Oneself
Words that Build Bridges Toward a New TongueBy Quincy Troupeyou begin with a sound wrapped around a syllable, or syllables, a word (or words) like razzmatazz, or...LoveDesire & PassionSocial CommentariesPopular CultureRace & EthnicityArts & SciencesLanguage & LinguisticsMusicJoy & Contentment + 2 more
Four, and MoreBy Quincy Troupe1. a carrier of incandescent dreams this blade-thin shadowman stabbed by lightning crystal silhouette...LoveDesire & PassionSocial CommentariesRace & EthnicityReligionThe SpiritualArts & SciencesMusicJoy & ContentmentOptimism + 3 more
The Music That Learns UsBy Rodney Terich LeonardFacing the blackboard, the teacher whistles a melody of marbled tenderness. Entanglement, intrigue or...The MindMemory & NostalgiaArts & SciencesMusicJoy & Contentment
Ma RaineyBy Sterling A. BrownI When Ma Rainey Comes to town, Folks from anyplace Miles aroun’, From Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff,...Social CommentariesRace & EthnicityArts & SciencesMusicStanza FormsCoupletMixedRhymed Stanza
BuskingBy Kevin YoungThe day folds up like money if you’re lucky. Mostly sun a cold coin drumming into the blue of a guitar...LivingLife ChoicesActivitiesJobs & WorkingArts & SciencesMusic
p1Noise ComplaintBy Ed RobersonI hear it but what is the instrument that voices the flashing red light strain which no wrung gauge ...LivingArts & SciencesMusicGrief
p1The Doors of PerceptionBy Jennifer JeanMy father leapt on stage at the Hollywood Bowl to grab drum and cymbal sticks from a star—he wanted ...Social CommentariesPopular CultureThe MindMemory & NostalgiaRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsArts & SciencesMusicAnxiety & InsecurityDisappointmentGrief + 4 more
The Song Is YouBy Marilyn NelsonMusical instruments sleep in the dark for several hours a day: the folks we belong to aren't always ...LoveLivingLife ChoicesRelationshipsActivitiesArts & SciencesMusicTechniquesPersona + 2 more
p1Fuck / TimeBy Inua EllamsOnce upon a time / Yo-Yo Ma / traveling through Botswana searching for music / crosses a local shaman...NatureArts & SciencesMusicJoy & ContentmentOptimism
LipBy Karla HustonWhen my father tuned his sousaphone, he fiddled with tubes and oil like when he restored the Model T...RelationshipsFamily & AncestorsArts & SciencesMusic