On the turn
around he nods
to me,

my time to solo

kindly please
I ask,
give me

twice round,
guitar man, leader
of the band,

twelve bars of blues
ain’t enough
to cut through

I’m gonna need
to close my eyes
and ease into

this groove
I’m asking please
grant me reprieve,

maybe this once
even three

times round,
a little space
to breathe

into this hand
sized harp I cup and
start to softly play:

give me that bass
oozing slow and steady,

give me that twisted
gnarled beat,

give me those
guttural bends
on your guitar strings

let me weave
these secrets
I’ve kept

under wraps
unexpressed
locked in my chest,

under the influence
of love loss, hard liquor,
fine weed

weave them all
into a pentatonic
tapestry