CHROMATIC HARMONIES
By Linda Eve Diamond
Dark night, cool clouds,
jazz band slowly warming up.
We don’t expect much—
then light jazz takes a turn
turning on the jazz lights
rising up, taking shape
as a soothing tonic key opens up
the bridge between sound and sight
with bright chromatic harmonies
filled with prismatic possibilities
arrangements rearranging
variations taking flight
inversions inspiring a sense
of harmonically lit synesthesia
chords ascending and turning to gold
notes twinkling like a string of bulbs
all the winds swirling blues into spirals
piano notes scrolling a rolling cloud
the drums beating a lively pulse
emoting floating images to life
while faint visions of musicians
side-slip into softly lit silhouettes
aglow and nearly afloat with the notes
as if striking such a chord they blend
and transcend appearing as if they
were composed by the music.
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Chromatic Harmonies was honored with a 2022 Artists Embassy International Dancing Poetry Award and read at the 29th Annual Dancing Poetry Festival, which was presented online. Find the festival at Youtube and the link to the Chromatic Harmonies reading here.
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Chromatic Harmonies was first published as part of a creative pairing through The Light Ekphrastic journal. While this poem was being written, in response to a poem by Joann Field, she was creating a photo in response to another poem of mine.
Find our collaborative page at The Light Ekphrastic - Field & Diamond.