1november 2015 “classic memories”
I danced with Nicolas Guillen under a Cuban sun
Prepared halal leg of lamb for c’ll.r.james on a brixton afyternoon
Shared chile relleno with the bEArdens on tenth avenue then
Was caught in the blackout at sardi’s dining on porterhouse stake &
Creamed spinach while Brooklyn burned and RicharD Long pontificated
Took photos of manuel puig and mommy in a tango
Strolled the Detroit museum of art with ricHMOnd barthe
Dined on red sauce baked chicken from leon damas near dupont circle
Sipped expresso with Guillermo Cabrera Infante and Miriam in their west London flat//flew the same airplane as octavio paz &was in high
Margarita altitudes before I hit la zona rosa or plaza santa cECILIA
I Walzed like a jitterbug to max roach’s snare drum/ amidst bearden collages/
& sat my daughter on sun ra’s lap so she cd get a blessing from the black cosmic conductor / remembered cecil tayler’s shoulder tastes of
Champagne and cocaine ,/john biggers liked football I cdnt understand
These blessings came like b reathing /easily and without a plan
But the world was lyrical & this ccollective genius so colored you cd smell em /like the star gazer lilies lester bowie brought to me
At the knitting factory / this before he & malachi favors played
I live in music with me/these blessings c ame like
Magic moments the drifters sing abt/mystical nanoseconds of colored genius graced my life/I cdnt have ever made it up/
Is / too marvelous even for dreams
Fantastical beaux of my/ everyday
Ntozake shange c I November 2015
This is the second thing i have typed with my
very own fingers since
July 29 ,2011 when the neuropathy struck.
the first thing I typed was
a poem that just came to me when I woke up.
it felt easy likemyself again,
but lost the first draft on the i-pad
and tried to write it long hand .
but my fingers cramped up so
i gave up til I had washed up and put on some make-up/
dressed
did some walking and hadda pepsi.
then I decided to try my computer
which was hooked up to dragon 13.
i am making a lot of mistakes /but bare with me/
I haven/t touched a computer either and now have no computer skills
that aren’t elementary I am tryin g to rrmember and learn At the same
Ttime.it is slow going but at least I have a chance of finding my voice.