endless river

By DB Cox

on his back

stretched thin

across the floor

quiet as a mirror—

irreverent fury

all used-up

turning an old “satch”

solo over in his mind

how many years ago

was it—

“downbeat” claimed

he was ahead of his time

before

all of the fine

young cannibals

feasted on his tone—

carved it & gnawed it

to the bone…

now he smokes

a little gage

& wonders

about destination:

after learning

then forgetting

the weary language

of the jazz night—

was there anything else

to be explained

one more reason

to stay here

in this crumbling house

by this endless river

*   *   *   *   *

posted 11/12/04

DB Cox is Blues musician/poet, originally from South Carolina, now resides in Watertown, Massachusetts. He has had writing published on-line in: Verse Libre Quarterly, LauraHird.COM, Zygote In My Coffee, Remark, Underground Voices, Sacramento Poetry Art & Music, and others. His work has appeared in print in: Aesthetica, Circle Magazine, Shadow Poetry, My Favorite Bullet, Mystery Island Magazine and Open Wide Magazine.

He has played guitar since the age of 14. After graduating from high school in 1966, he did a 4 year stint with the U.S. Marines. After his discharge, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts to attend the Berklee School of Music, where he eventually found the blues circuit. He loves writing for the same reason he loves playing the guitar -- a way to communicate how he feels, at a given time, on a given day. donniebegood@comcast.net