Mississippi Melodies

Mississippi Melodies
© Surazeus
2018 01 27

When gold sun sets behind the city towers
and lamps flare up to light the crowded streets
we leave the offices and factories
to gather in the well-lighted cafes.

The band leader in his dapper gray suit
snaps his fingers and winks, then tips his hat,
and from the silence of the twilight zone
the heartbeat of the night pumps our blood.

We leave behind the aching cares of life,
forgetting all the sorrows of numb hearts,
and with the Mississippi melodies
we rise from death to dance eternal life.

The honky-tonk piano leaps the moon,
then boogie-woogie clarinet escapes
and glides along the rainbow after rain
till everyone is swinging with the stars.

The steady tapping of the snarky drum
leads jealous stomping with the ragtime roll
till all the wooden floors shake with delight
to feel the flowing Mississippi tide.

Deep in the gloomy bayou of my heart
I hear the ancient music of the night
when sparkling stars that beam the Milky Way
slide shimmering through the neurons of my brain.

Then from the deep abyss of death they rise,
the spirits of the dead who know our names,
to fill the emptiness between our eyes
connecting our hearts with the lightning kiss.

Beyond the far horizon of our hope
we swing with Tarzan on his golden rope
to leap the walls of paradise at dawn
and steal sweet apples from the Tree of Life.

Yet here I wander on the signless road,
the dust of aching misery on my face,
still searching far across the fertile land
for work to feed my starving family.

I pluck the rusty strings of my guitar
while standing on the busy street at noon
and sing the blues of my old broken heart
about the pretty girl who waits for me.

Then with three dollars thrown in tattered hat
I mosey down to the Dead Fish Cafe
and eat small bowl of stew with sizzling beer,
while tapping my feet to the ragtime beat.

When silver moonlight in the window gleams
Sweet Emma Barret sings of Dixieland,
then Sidney Bechet plays his saxophone
that conjures spirits from the misty swamps.

We all stand swaying in the moonlight glow,
arms interlinked in chain of swinging souls,
while Sidney wails the aching of our hearts
that weave our sorrows into sparkling stars.

So for one hour of timeless ecstasy
we comprehend the meaning of our lives
as sensuous saxophone of moonlight tunes
transform our misery into carefree love.

The memories of my long and crazy life
flash bright before my teary eyes in scenes
of desperate search for happiness with you,
so I will hold you in my arms tonight.

We sway together with the ragtime beat
as Sidney searches through our hidden dreams
with every aching melody that beams
trilling anguish from his saxophone heart.

So that is how I know our loyal love
will last far beyond the end of our world,
long after the last saxophone note wails
into the silence of the moonlit night.

When the sun rises over city towers
and cars honk as we drive the crowded streets
we head to offices and factories
to work with Mississippi melodies.