new poem

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.