Poetry Potlatch Challenge Topic: Write a Memento Poem about your birthday.

Memento, created by Emily Romano is a poem about a holiday or an anniversary, consisting of two stanzas as follows: the syllable count should be 8 beats for line one; 6 beats for line two; and two beats for line three. This is repeated twice for each stanza. The rhyme scheme is: a/b/c/a/b/c for each of the two stanzas.

I don't mind saying that I struggled with this one. On my fourth attempt I finally came up with something I wanted to post. I went at this topic from several different perspectives. Most of them involved the fact that I will be 50 on July 17th this year (in one fashion or another and most took a more humorous approach.) Indirectly, this one addresses that fact, too, without any humor. I hope you enjoy where this ended up, although it admittedly isn't a happy poem. I feel that it really fits in my Echoes of Artistry book, for John Coltrane truly was a legendary Jazz artist. I hope you will enjoy his bio and the video, too. I borrowed the title of this poem from the title of one of the selections he plays in the video, "But Not For Me."

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Kim

Picture: Courtesy of a public domain search, found on Pinterest.


An excerpt from Wikipedia:
John William Coltrane, also known as "Trane" (September 23, 1926 - July 17, 1967),[1] was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and was later at the forefront of free jazz. He led at least fifty recording sessions during his career, and appeared as a sideman on many albums by other musicians, including trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk.

As his career progressed, Coltrane and his music took on an increasingly spiritual dimension. Coltrane influenced innumerable musicians, and remains one of the most significant saxophonists in music history. He received many posthumous awards and recognitions, including canonization by the African Orthodox Church as Saint John William Coltrane and a special Pulitzer Prize in 2007.[2] His second wife was pianist Alice Coltrane and their son Ravi Coltrane is also a saxophonist.

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