Charlie Parker
Who named him Yard Bird?
He was a homing pigeon
With no home to fly to
Sky unlimited
Route uncharted
Eagle strong
He scorched his wings
Haunting the heavens
Buzzing the sun
As the feebler fowl
Looked up in awe
But played it safe
In the rambling sky
He lived!
Here he rendezvoused
With freedom
Flashing feathers
Of burning blue
Dipping, darting
In strange and wild
Ecstatic arcs
Dazzling with his daring
Flying
As none before had ever flown
Even an eagle tires
And returns to his airy crag
A homing pigeon
Cannot soar forever
But this majestic bird
Had no home
To go to;
Helpless
On the ground
He wandered aimlessly
Pecking in garbage
Like a common sparrow
With a weary wing
And he was trapped
And hooked
And cooked—
That’s the simple story
Of the heaven-haunting pigeon
Who flew his way to glory.
Notes:
“Charlie Parker” is from Black Moods: Collected Poems (University of Illinois Press, 2002). © 2002 Board of Trustees. Used with permission of the University of Illinois Press.
This poem is part of the portfolio “As Direct as Good Blues: Frank Marshall Davis.” You can read the rest of the portfolio in the December 2023 issue.
Source: Poetry (December 2023)