……………………..
…….For Just One Moment
…………………………. I was not there
when Charlie Parker started playing between the notes
………………………. I could not be there
when Billie Holiday pondered the fruit of southern trees
…………………..I was unable to sit at a table
…………..when Miles Davis gave birth to the Cool
……..but the musicians aren’t the only ones who sing
……………………. and I am here with you
…………………to hear my heart stop beating
……………………….for just one moment
.
by Nikki Giovanni
from Blues For All the Changes
William Morrow and Company, 1999