April 14 2017 Mississippi John Hurt

by Judy Katz-Levine

I would desire the hands of Mississippi John Hurt, the fingers

just slightly bent and with a touch of arthritis, though he

has spent a lifetime caressing that gentle guitar, calling

to his folks you got to travel that lonesome road all by yourself

and the humbleness of his voice, just a touch of a rasp, eyes

that know far more than the eyes of a scholar, glancing up at the camera

now and then only now and then, it isn't really trains one hears

in the blues guitar, it may be a walk with a grandchild down

by the river, or the grace bestowed after singing "Amazing Grace"

in the church near the homes of cousins getting ready to go out

and toss a baseball to the sky. I would desire, as I age, the fingers

of Mississippi John Hurt, which symbolize a life lived without

greed, without any malice whatsoever, any grab to power, and the

unearthly gentleness in his voice, yes, I would desire that.

* * * * *

"April 14 2017 Mississippi John Hurt," from Judy Katz-Levine's new book The Everything Saint, was first published in Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene and Miriam's Well.

Judy Katz-Levine's new book, The Everything Saint, has just been published by Word Press (available on Amazon). Of the book, the publisher says "The Everything Saint shows us the holy in the ordinary, and Judy Katz-Levine is a faithful guide to such wonders." Her recent poetry and translations have appeared in Writing In A Woman's Voice, Miriam's Well, Salamander, Blue Unicorn, Ibbetson Street, Event Horizon, Peacock Journal, and many other venues. Also a jazz flutist, she enjoys playing at jam sessions.