Go play it slowly Charlie
play it higher, play with birds,
play it easy play it snarly
for you it’s not been hard
to quiver quavers, jam the night
till the dawn comes breaking.
Go play on, this feels right
when my body’s shaking,
snared to bass and hi-hats;
your jazz is hazy, cool and crazy
when you lay me gently b-flat
wasted, pushing up the daisies.
Go play it slowly Charlie
play it higher, play with birds,
play it teasing play it snarly
for you it’s sometimes hard.
Linked to Sunday Muse and Poetry Pantry.
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September 22, 2019
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Of course playing well is hard! But, oh, the hazy, cool, and crazy music! I love this poem, Björn. It sings to me!
I love the rhythm and rhyme of this. I once lived in an old store where a weathered old seagull named Charlie came for scraps every mealtime on the porch.
This flowed as beautifully as the music itself
Oh, brilliant rhythm and words, Björn….I love quiver quavers!
I am picturing this man thinking back over his life, remembering better times. One day, I am sure, he played for many!
“lay me gently b-flat wasted” – what an awesome line! As a jazz lover myself, I am completely grateful for this poem this morning, walking us through life with rhythm and rhyme. Truly lovely!
b-flat wasted – what a wonderful line. I am a great jazz lover and this poem tickled my fancy this morning.
What a wonderful poem! I love Charlie Parker.
You’ve captured the jazz in this poem, Björn, and have incorporated some beautiful onomatopoeic and rhyming riffs. I particularly love:
‘play it easy play it snarly’;
‘…quiver quavers, jam the night’
and
‘snared to bass and hi-hats;
your jazz is hazy, cool and crazy’.
Charlie Parker, and yes, BB King. So with Monk. Sometimes it’s really hard.
Nice tribute to one of the greats!
I do enjoy music infused poetry. So you pulled me in with each chord.
when you lay me gently b-flat
wasted, pushing up the daisies.
This is wonderful Bjorn!! I love the rhyme and jazzy flow of it! The 3rd stanza is amazing! Charlie’s Jazz is cool and crazy! Thanks for joining us at the muse!! 😎
I was wondering if this was Charlie Parker as I was reading it–I think if Mozart were alive today, he would be a jazz musician–loved the musicality of this piece–the rhythm and the consonant pinginess of it
Love it! Your rhyme/near rhyme, cadence and meter amplify the content perfectly. It feels jazzy!
great rhyme and rhythm, a real delight to read. 🙂
Wonderful how you’ve caught both the feel of the picture and that of the music in one poem. (I love, love, love Charlie Parker.)
Music to my ears!
This is brilliantly rendered, Bjorn! ❤️ Wowww!! 😀
Brilliantly presented. I am a big fan of Charlie Parker.
Hazy, cool and crazy indeed, a virtuoso and one of the best of all time in my view.
Ah, some jazzy blues came to mind as I read your words!
snappy third stanza! Creatively and perfectly paired with the image.
I love the jazz of the poem to playing jazz, “lay be gently, b-flat wasted, pushing up daisies”, Sweet!