"Tiger Rag"

 

The planets,
   struck in awe by force
Stopped long enough to hear
   a Tiger take a rag,     
   and splinter it into more parts
   than its coat has hairs.

Too many coruscations of combusting molecules     
   wanting release from the certainty      
   of existence.
Their rhythm  
   more fierce than the blackness     
   of the Tiger's eye,
Their melodies  
   gyrating like overtone tornadoes     
   that ate too much birthday cake,
Their harmonies
   careening through mountainous cliffs  
   shearing off any trace of functional harmony.

The Tiger snarled,
   calling forth two musicians who
      gladly turned this fierceness into light,
      heartily refused even a singular moment of glory,  
      and joyfully transformed eternity into Yes.

These two young tigers
   do not know their cosmic origins,
   yet nevertheless will be
   emblazoned in the firmament
   for all to see.

 

March 2021 

 

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©2021, Michael Smolens