A Motherficker Too
by Patricia Smith

"...the whole band would just like have an
orgasm every time Bird or Diz would play
...Sarah Vaughan was there also, and she's
a motherfucker too."
- Miles Davis

Up to you to figure out which one of 'em
we talking about. Could be any of three,
lining the babes up like dominos,
swearing they just had the love to give,
and up on stage, passing it on,
flashing it shameless, struttin' it silly,
those blowings that coulda caught fire
if fire was what they wanted.
And two of them smack slapped,
and one of them born
with beep beep in his blood
and even with bebopping this heavy,
it was a mess before you know it.
Up to you to figure out
which one we talking about.
Arkansas road walking with church funky
pumping through branches and he stop
and he wail an all-night answer
the Lord don't want nothing to do with,
blue lines so funky they smelled bad.
irrational flyer, up there so much
Gabriel post a note saying
'No sidemen needed, damnit,
keep that horn in its cage.'
But he blow so tender. Up baby, Up,
mute like screaming through a
closed mouth. Up baby, Up,
and two of them smack slapped
and one lock himself away,
riding the back of the bitch.
Strapped down on daddy's farm,
banging the walls and
shit! how many ways is blue?
Came out kicking, came out crazy,
and wanted nothing else but
a hungry woman after jamming.
The three of them,
Dark appetites in triple,
and one stoked it out,
one exploded,
one just got old.
The thing to remember
is the collision of Miles, Bird, and Dizzy,
all of them lost behind Miss V,
three motherfuckers in awe of another.