Jazz Poems

POEM Little brown boy, Slim, dark, big-eyed, Crooning love songs to your banjo Down at Lafayette– Gee, boy, I love the way you hold your head, High sort of and a bit to one side, Like a prince, a jazz prince, And I love Your eyes flashing, and your hands, And your patent-leathered feet And your shoulders jerking the jig-wa. And I love your teeth flashing, And the way your hair shines in the spotlight Like it was the real stuff. Gee, brown boy, I loves you all I’m glad I’m a jig. I’m glad I can Understand your dancin’ and your Singin’ and feel all the happiness And joy and don’t-care in you. Gee, boy, when you sing, I can close my ears And hear tom-toms just as plain. Listen to me, will you, what do I know About tom-toms? But I like the word, sort of, Don’t you? It belongs to us. Gee, boy, I love the way you hold your head, And the way you sing and dance, And everything. Say, I think you’re wonderful. You’re All right with me. You are. HELENE JOHNSON

from Jazz Poems ~ Selected and Edited by Kevin Young

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