Music That Heals

            for Sidney Bechet

                By Rudolph Lewis

There’s a fabric to life

All peoples are aware

of its existence—its own

beauty, design, texture

Some see it not at all.

Hear “Blues Horizon” on the clarinet

a sweeping phrase in low register

Sidney Bechet, improvising

                              Making sweet love

to our humanity with his soprano

The stepping music of our grandfathers

who had nowhere else to go

Treat it gentle this wild beast

push the boundaries of specialization

There’s a great river & its tributaries

as sensuous as Coltrane on his soprano

a rapture & a love song

jazz makes you understand

Soloing must be a process

Responses

9 december 2005

Dear Rudy, this is just beautiful!   Very healing indeed.  Thank you for all the wonderful emails you have sent to me.  Sorry I don't get to respond to each of them.  Life is just ridiculously busy.  Even during Advent.  Not a good thing I know, but it is what it is.

Wishing you and your family a blessed Advent and Christmas. With Peace, Pat

You're on a roll with the poetry.  You probably have a whole collection there by now.  Good news (sort of) from Mona Lisa.  She sounds like a very upbeat kinda person, but she didn't commit herself to the return.  I talked to a good friend—Xavier language teacher, wife, mother, daughter of an 80-year-old, all-living in an apt. in Texas--last night and she says they're returning, though she's scared as hell because of the health problems and lack of  basic services.  I told her they're pioneers and I'll pray for them. Jerry's returning too.  I admire them so much.  Those are the kind of dedicated and self-sacrificing teachers and scholars at Black colleges that I admire so much. --Miriam

posted 5 January 2006