A friend gave me a poem about jazz. I left it there.

January 15, 2006 4:28 PM

Lost Poem. This is *not* the poem I'm looking for:

A friend told me
He'd risen above jazz.
I leave him there.

- Michael s. Harper

Rather, that poem is the epigraph for a much longer poem.

The longer poem ends with the words: "...that would listen if it could."

What is it?

posted by bingo to media & arts (4 comments total)

Well, seeing as how nobody was able to help you out I did some googling. My results were pretty convoluted and unfortunately not much turned up on Google. I would go to the library and check out "Dear John, Dear Coltrane". That's pretty much just a hunch after the google results. The only clear thing I was able to come up with after searching was the title of that bit you put up is "Alone".
Good luck!
posted by Iamtherealme at 8:51 PM on January 15, 2006

According to google's book search, the poem (Alone) is just those three lines.
posted by dhruva at 10:44 PM on January 15, 2006

Yup....I'm wondering though if he wrote "Alone" as kind of an after thought to "Dear John, Dear Coltrane." I wasn't familiar with the term "epigraph" before now, but I get the feeling that implies it was written about somebody else's poem.
Perhaps your best bet is to ask him. Nothing to lose, right? Let us know what you find out.
posted by Iamtherealme at 12:02 AM on January 16, 2006

The poem that I'm looking for was definitely not written by the same person who wrote "Alone," and "Alone" was definitely written first. An epigraph is just an introductory quote from another work. Shelley introduces Frankenstein with:

Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To mould Me man?

...from Milton.

Anyway, mayhap I will email Mr. Harper, though I'm not sure that this is something he would necessarily know about or have interest in answering. Thanks.
posted by bingo at 11:42 AM on January 16, 2006