I Played Bass for Thelonious Monk

 

My breath like heavy

                                strings

I could not sing

   but groove to the

                                song

    No right or wrong

 

We just play - Play

inside the mid summer

                      air and sun

 

Blowing w/ leaves and

  wrappers from gum

 

We play uptown, downtown

          - all round -

w/ money - w/ none -

 

     We got it all

 

Through Pittsburgh, Cleveland,

New Orleans to Santa Fe,

L.A., and back to NYC

for a gig or three

 

- Don't tell me, motherfucker,

 

I played until 3:00 a.m.

 

    Five days a week

 

                  For 27 days

 

    Straight

               w/ no chasers.

 

We played for chicken

           & gin

For women & grins

  For with and in joints

To Thelonious was hummin'

                along

                       & along

 

 

John Alan Conte` JR

mystrawhat.com

August 17, 2005

 

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