Saturday, October 8, 2011

got the blues again


Tall Trees by Mike Tedder



Blue Saxophones by Moya Cannon

In Buenos Aires the sidewalks are broken,
but the trees are tall and blue,
blue like Cézanne’s blue pitcher,
which speaks to some still corner of the soul –
a quite unnecessary, delicate blue –
and the unmended pavements are strewn
with a carpet of blue blossoms,
and with the bent pennies,
the tough leathery purses,
which are the seed cases of the Jacaranda –
a surety, until now,
that there would certainly
be more and more of this,
more tall blue trees in October,
singing, gratuitously,
above the dusty pavements
out of thousands of blue,
clustered saxophones.






.

19 comments:

mythopolis said...

Love the picture of the barren trees and the 'bluesy' skies. "Ya gotta suffer if ya wanna sing the blues." -David Bromberg

Brian Miller said...

dang this is good...and i like the pic as well...perfect seasonal piece that is also fresh...

Daydreamertoo said...

Really quite exquisite.
I love the colour blue. If I had a full range of colours to chose anything from, I always go for the blue.
This is really lovely writing.

izzy said...

Enjoyed this ! nothing like South American light- southern hemisphere
can have a blue cast-especially after the afternoon rains...It is odd
I just got thinking about a bright blue guitar, stretched and twisted a bit, like Picasso might have-
(Wavelengths-?) also just started
a book on Hemingway and his "Pilar"
not sure how I came to blue with him other than water and Kilimanjaro.
Thanks for visiting too!

kj said...

oh the joy to visit someone who also cherishes colors and words!

thank you lydia. what a juxposition, this poem, holy blue and cracked sidewalks and the revelry of south america.

i wish i could write like this


kj

Maude Lynn said...

Wow. I totally felt this.

Lydia said...

mythopolis~ Thanks for that Bromberg quote. :)

Brian~ I may order the print of the pic. As for the poem, it made me cry when I found it so it is in my keeper file.

daydreamertoo~ Isn't Cannon a wonderful poet? I only recently discovered her and have been inspired.
Agree with you about blue. How can you beat the sky?!

izzy~ Have never been to South America, the Southern Hemisphere. This poem was actually the first I'd read of blue tinted anything there. It fascinates me.
The book you mention is on my reading list. As for thinking of him with this post, it has to be the music. (I'd have loved being alive during that time, I think.)

kj~ I wish I could write like this, too. But there is nothing like celebrating that this kind of writing has been given to the world...a gift. I love your term "holy blue" - that is beautiful!

Mama Zen~ I am so glad. The poem deserved the right image, most definitely, and the right rendition of Rhapsody in Blue made it one of my favorite posts for some time.

ds said...

Ah, your own personal Mood Indigo...Incredible photo; beautiful poem, which speaks like Cezanne's picture to some "small corner of the soul." Oh, yes. (I adore Rhapsody in Blue, btw)
Thank you so much for sharing these.

Fireblossom said...

Wow, what a picture!

There is an interesting story about how George Gershwin came up with "Rhapsody In Blue." If you want, I'll tell it.

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

ah lydia - this post could almost be purpose built for me - the blues, such a great pome - and the Rhapsody in blue with the Saxophones

Those guys have been playing a bit longer than me though :)

Lydia said...

ds~ It was my pleasure. And I really mean that. :)

Pixies~ ...yea, but every player had to start sometime!
Glad this resonated with you, wavelength-buddy. :)

Kay Cooke said...

Lovelylovelylovely - love it! Blue is my fav. colour, you have reminded me why again.

Lydia said...

Kay~ The poem and the image reminded me also (interesting that we are both wearing red in our profile pics). :)

Lydia said...

Fireblossom~ Yes, I want you to tell it! Thank you for offering to to do so. :)

Misterio Vida said...

as always, spot on by Lydia... as its october and these lines goes so in sync with the weather around..the trees and the leaves :)

Batteson.Ind said...

well.. have been catching up as much as time permits with all your posts, as usual there are some beautiful, mad, informative and intense things! all of them articulated perfectly :-)
and listening to rhapsody in blue took me right back to being a kid and watching Tom and Jerry.. why they can't make cartoon as culturally incredible any more is beyond me! cheers!

Fireblossom said...

Well, it goes like this: George Gershwin was traveling by train, and he was trying to use the time to compose something. He was deep in creative thought, and, with his case on his lap, began moving his fingers along the piano keys he was imagining. The train ride chose that moment to become rather bumpy and as the train car swayed back and forth, George Gershwin's fingers did the same. And so was born the famous dee dee dee dee DOO DOO DOO DOO da da da da, DEE DEE DEE DEE that we know today as "Rhapsody In Blue."

Hattie said...

Very very nice. Hope "the blues" are only temporary.

Lydia said...

Muhammad Israr~ Thank you. I like reading about the change of seasons elsewhere, too. I hope you are having a beautiful autumn so far. :)

the watercats~ Ah, how nice to see your smiling faces and read your charming comment. Guess where I visited last night? Your youtube channel and I enjoyed the latest video!

Fireblossom~ That sounds like the kind of interruption only a true artist would use in his/her work. And he was a true artist. Love this story and thank you for placing it here. :)

Hattie~ Thank you. I hope for that also. :/

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