COLTRANE

virtuoso of
the primal squawk

architecture
of the bridge
and the furious
intersection

spiritual
without the church

political
but not your daddy's
protest music

sheets of sound
cascading down

blues,
chromatic leapings,

riffs copped
from old show tunes,

jagged melodies
for which you had
no inkling

but if you listen
really listen

to the space
between the sounds

if you listen
really listen

to the quality
of the blowing

that saxophone
of John
Coltrane

becomes
the voice
of an old
friend

late
at night
speaking
just to you