Call Me a Beatnik

By Kevin Masmela

because my breath blows

like a saxophone

tonguing on syllables

like a mouthpiece to

a trombone

I love the sound horns

make when they don’t

sound like the city

when they synchronize

with the tempo of my body

I love the way my lines

move to the cadence

the pacing of my pause

like hands to a cymbal

call me a beatnik

because form is dated

& I have dated all forms

I sip Kerouac for dinner

so my palette plays

with his rhythm

so my voice

throttles between

second & third gear

every time my breath

needs another break

By Kevin Masmela