the musky glow of the candle bowl
the frisson of flesh on flesh
the cinnamon zing of Venetians
crosswords over coffee
Joaquin Phoenix singing Cry, Cry, Cry
the ineffable sadness of Jackson because we both
know people like that
the voice of Johnny Cash, proof that there’s a God
Rick Springfield on Gospel Radio speaking to the sky
& those blackbirds, after rain, bless their untidy little hearts.
John Malone 
This is beautiful, especially the last few lines!!
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thank you: those blackbirds trilled their way into the poem 🙂
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Stunning!! 🖤🖤
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well thank you 🙂
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You’re so welcome.
This is wonderfully written 🖤🖤
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Yes,yes, yes!! Frisson achieved. This is art, perfect, simply perfect!!
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thanks Suzanne. I quite like the poem myself; I’m glad it hit the mark 🙂
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I love thiz so much. Permission to share?
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yes, permission granted 🙂
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such incredible imagery
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thanks Beth; it was your post on ‘possibilities’ which kick-started the poem as in how many permutations would it take to produce a voice as distinctive as that of Johnny Cash or Elvis, for that matter ?
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Love this! 💚
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thanks — though I must point out that there’s an error on the text: happily it is factual, not poetic: the song I meant to refer to was ‘My Elusive Dreams’ not ‘Jackson’ though I think I got away with it 🙂
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I. Love. This. You had me at ‘frisson.’ And you created a ripple effect in my head with wave after wave of personal references to much loved music.
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thanks 🙂 yes, the poem almost wrote itself; it’s easy, isn’t it, when you write about a topic you love? I notice that music features regularly in your posts 🙂
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Sigh… yes. Music plays a leading role in the story of my life. I cannot imagine getting through the day without hearing or making some music. I’m addicted.
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then you are indeed fortunate; I love music — it is a BIG part of my life but unfortunately I haven’t and musical ability;I did try playing the guitar as a teenager but never progressed beyond ‘Smoke on the Water’ 😦
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I don’t think I totally understand it but the mood is evocative, lyrical, smooth… a totally enjoyable read . Really lovely!
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thanks: I just went with the mood, realizing the dangers of overly explaining 🙂
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