Pause. Wait—then take it up again.
Posted: April 17th, 2007, 2:52 pm
Pause. Wait—then take it up again. Pause. Wait—
then syncopate the metronome and pause
and wait— arrhythmia of hearty time
and pause and wait and faith. Standardized
arrangements have their ordered glory, but
inconsistency has something more:
both pause and wait refuse to guarantee
another beat will measure fluidly
on improvised and scatted, scattered tour
across my jazz-want ears— and yet they cut
a record deal way down my soul: up prized
and precious claim of faith. You’re there, but I’m
not sure your gonna stay. You start, but pause
before you words commit. I start, but wait.
then syncopate the metronome and pause
and wait— arrhythmia of hearty time
and pause and wait and faith. Standardized
arrangements have their ordered glory, but
inconsistency has something more:
both pause and wait refuse to guarantee
another beat will measure fluidly
on improvised and scatted, scattered tour
across my jazz-want ears— and yet they cut
a record deal way down my soul: up prized
and precious claim of faith. You’re there, but I’m
not sure your gonna stay. You start, but pause
before you words commit. I start, but wait.