Jazz!

The way it gets into the lungs of people,
the way it goes down there into in the blood
and when it reaches the heart, makes it
go boom, boom, boom... makes me think
I should like it. I’ve tried hard to like it.
I listen to the jazz shows on my radio.
I love the hosts with their smooth
enthusiasm and the tides in their voices.
I love it when they tell the stories tied
to the tune I’m about to turn off. I want
to hear about the clubs and the records
and how the deals went down and who
got screwed and why and how it’s better now.
Then the radio holds its breath a beat
and the music plays, not bad music,
just music–music that doesn’t go down
into my lungs, doesn’t make my blood
fizz, and doesn’t make my heart dance
the way the man with the tides in his voice did.