Wayne Gilbert: Poet and jazz disciple

Photo courtesy of Wayne Gilbert

This weekend's Home Edition of The Aurora Sentinel features a profile of Wayne Gilbert, a poet and English professor at the Community College of Aurora. With a style informed by the improvisation and freedom of jazz music, Gilbert has developed a poetic style all his own.

A couple of short poems by Gilbert follows after the jump, as well as a taped performance from a Boulder public television program.

2 little high ku-jazz poems

(w/apologies to Basho and Coltrane)

by Wayne Gilbert 

1.

blue flames in her eyes.

hospital disinfectant fumes.

blake’s infinity in the i.v. drip

his eternity in the inevitable

plastic cup of warmed ice-water.

her boney hand in mine.

these empty words.

            2.

candle.

such a small flame

such a long cold night.

i am here in my sorrow’s cave.

hot bitter tea.

these little word-fires

my hermit-voice.