Published: 22 October 2025

The Blues Have Got Me Beat

The Blues flattened my fedora into a beret,
stole my zippy-de-doo-die-ay,
gave me a saxophone,
told me, “blow it kid, you can never go home.”
I keep snapping my fingers to invisible sounds
and I squeak confused the squares to confound,
it’s times like these I do believe,
the Blues have got me Beat.

My Shakespeare reads like Kerouac,
I bought a ticket to Paris though you never can go back,
I tore a Brooks Brothers suit to hang it on my door
and there’s two guys lying on my living room floor
arguing whether a white man can sing the blues,
or is it all just some 20th century repeat?
And that’s when you know –
the Blues have got you Beat.

I sold my home and bought a club,
where I sell espresso and absinthe.
My girlfriend was born in leotards
and they’ve never been rinsed – since.
I’ve shaved my head, grown a goatee,
I’m starting to talk phonetically,
this phone call’s coming to you from me
‘cuz brother – I must insist,
oh sister, don’t resist,
‘cuz in case you just missed
the ineffable fact I lay before you Jack
then I must repeat
the Blues,
the Blues,
I believe the Blues
… have got me Beat.

More Poetry:

the Devil called

the Devil called
wants me in Hell
I said, that don’t suit me so well
BTW don’t get me started
last time we spoke
it smelled like you farted

Crumbs do not a sandwich make

Salute those who read the end of the book first
for they seek a reason to read.
This is the back of the book,
the foundation, the bed rock;
this is the mantle, the crust,

Marshmallow test

There’s a famous film of children being part of a psychology test.
It’s an old film, black and white, stationary camera to emphasize
It’s not a movie but documentation of an experiment.

Individual children are given a marshmallow, not quite a candy,

A woman’s laugh the colour of flowers

She collects the colours of summer evening
distributes them through her garden with art and beauty
to welcome her guests appropriately, that is,
these flowers are the colours of her joy to be with them,

symbolism is nothing — watch this

there’s nothing I do that makes sense
nothing I do rhymes with recompense
though the evangelist dissolve into incontinence
a deep sea diver on shore with the bends
point out the rooster that rules without hens
all I do is feather the bed and relive past tense

Flavours within asparagus

ethereal, ether, fruity, acetone, camphor
earthy, beany, pea, earth
curry, smoky, clove, peanut, spicy

Related

the Devil called

the Devil called

the Devil called
wants me in Hell
I said, that don’t suit me so well
BTW don’t get me started
last time we spoke
it smelled like you farted

read more
Marshmallow test

Marshmallow test

There’s a famous film of children being part of a psychology test.
It’s an old film, black and white, stationary camera to emphasize
It’s not a movie but documentation of an experiment.

Individual children are given a marshmallow, not quite a candy,

read more

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