Yes, I was there when it happened;
The day he died.
I was always there, he depended on me,
And I didn’t ever fail him; did I?
This man chosen by The Bird to play in his band;
Dizzy wanted him, and bebop rang out,
Loud and long, until that day
When he was joined with Gerry,
And the Quartet struck gold.
And that is when I joined him, this man
Who could play like a nightingale,
And sing like an angel.
All the time I was there, supporting this man,
Never left him, followed him all over the world.
He played those gentle tunes that we know
With a sound so mellow, that the birds stopped to listen.
That day when he went looking for me,
The saddest of all, beaten to a pulp;
No longer able to play for months but he found me,
I wasn’t far away that day but not close enough
To protect him.
But he came back and the music swelled again
From this genius of Jazz.
Then came that day in Amsterdam;
Just the two of us in the hotel room.
I as ever supporting him
As he injected me into his arm.
He got up and stumbled, and as he fell from the window,
I was still there, when his eyes closed forever.
-
Author:
Goldfinch60 (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: March 1st, 2017 02:53
- Comment from author about the poem: This is a poem I wrote about Chet Baker. Chet is one of my favourite jazz people and I have many, if not all, of his recordings. He was a heroin addict but lived to the age of 67 which was a good age for an addict. He died falling from a second floor hotel room in Amsterdam, most believe it was accidentally as he was in a good place in his life at the time.
- Category: Reflection
- Views: 31
Offline)
Comments7
Now this just so good - rhythm, storyline - I'll return and read it again later.
Thank you Michael, much appreciated.
A fine write, and sad too. Some people becoming addicted, as a way to be able to 'get through life' even though many have gifts, skills talents, that are cut short.
Thank you Orchi. This was Poem of the Month at 'the other place' in 2014.
This is as good as it gets sometimes its best to go out on top? wonder works here! Bravo!! ww
Thank you ww, your words are much appreciated.
as well as much deserved my good man, friend , poet Peace through art pal. ww
Loving tribute! Very well done. Draws a person in, anticipating each next line. 🙂
Thank you so much WBL.
Really enjoyed this, get a real feeling of how much you admired this person but how sad life can turn out
Thank you Jooles, yes I do admire him, I was listening to him this afternoon.
This is so original and so refreshing. I look forward to your poems every day.
Thank you Augustus, you are most kind.
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