Open Mic – v2

Can you hear me in the back?

Let’s see –

A little about me

What would they want to know…

Set the mood, a light laugh line

Parse the group

Gauge the crowd

What they want to hear

How’s it going?

Thanks for the opportunity

To share, to speak

To be real, authentic

Shouldn’t listeners have to wear name tags

Expose a bit of soul too

Like those of us sharing

Under the hot lights…

Aren’t they though,

If you pay attention

to the fidget and the clap

Subtle and not so oblique silences

Hello? Hello!?

Is this thing on?

=====

edited November 17, 2018

Open Mic – v2

Posted August 23, 2004

Open Mic

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2004/08/open-mic.html

August 18, 2004 22:03

&

edited December 15, 2015

Second-Rate Song Lyrics – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/12/second-rate-song-lyrics-v2.html

8/21/04 16:40 – Inspired by Adam

Second-Rate Song Lyrics

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2004/08/second-rate-song-lyrics.html

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 48,100 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Adam, creator, Faith, faith poetry, God, hope, Methodist, New Hampshire, poem, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, praise poems, praise poetry, Raymond A. Foss,

#Adam #creator #Faith #Christ #Spirit #God #hope #slam #openmic #poem #poetry

Post-Graduate – v2

What do we learn from the roads not taken,

of choices made without full exploration?

“What if”, and “where would I be”, if only…

but we cannot go back

I was a Writer at eighteen,

“He leaves to become the next John Steinbeck”

in the Senior Class Will…

But a different path taken

No post-graduate year,

Mr. Paquette’s idea,

of writing and study

exploring a different path

Full-time college instead,

because of Dad’s dread,

the struggle he endured

so many years of night school

Numbers, not words

tapped my precision,

though unconscious decision

simple path taken

Poet at forty, closing the circle

Reading and typing the Law

Leaves me in awe

at the power of words

The same power

That held me back then

and which I use now

to reach a different end.

================

edited November 17, 2018

Post-Graduate – v2

8/8/04 11:49

Post-Graduate

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2004/08/post-graduate.html

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 48,100 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

God, John 1, Law, leaves, New Hampshire, path, poem, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, school, college, dreams, hope, untaken, writing, reading, novel, poet, writer,

#God #John #John1 #Law #leaves #NewHampshire #path #poem #poetry #school #college #dreams #hope #untaken #writing #reading #novel #poet #writer #calling

February Heat – v2

Broad smile in my soul

as parka was replaced

with a polo, white on white,

with greens and garish

A wall of heat

a blanket, a caress

for my thickened

Yankee blood.

Sweat down my back

stuck to the streetcar,

though not Desire

on St. Charles Street.

Canal and Decatur

and Bourbon again.

Memories rushed

back of earlier visits

Oh to stay, to linger

to wander the streets again

to lounge, to luxuriate,

to bask in the February heat.

========

edited November 17, 2018

February Heat – v2

8/7/04 18:11

February Heat

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2004/08/february-heat.html

New Orleans

February 1996

when I interviewed at Tulane

&

November 16, 2018

Mood Indigo

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2018/11/mood-indigo.html

May 1993

Mood Indigo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLayv8rPlts (1980)

by Willie Humphrey

(93 years old in 1993)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Humphrey

https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858981063/

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preservation_Hall_Jazz_Band

Preservation Hall

&

edited November 16, 2018

Nice Tie – v2

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2018/11/nice-tie-v2.html

8/7/04 18:05

Nice Tie

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2004/08/nice-tie.html

partially non-verbal conversation with Richard Payne

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0668413/

of Preservation Hall Jazz Band

https://www.facebook.com/preservationhalljazzband/

https://www.preservationhalljazzband.com/

at Preservation Hall Jazz Band club

https://www.facebook.com/Preservation.Hall/

http://www.preservationhall.com/?fbclid=IwAR3erKerKs-nD2hpMDNl6QDuCcgpyZkyGrGzPrGM06c-k8WFGmeyqXdRhvg 

726 St. Peters Street

New Orleans, LA

He was the bass player for the band and

he was the bass player in

“Toots Sweet’s Band” in the movie

Angel Heart (1987).

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092563/

I gave him my tie, right off my neck

(a tie I had bought from a pushcart at

Downtown Crossing in Boston).

&

edited April 27, 2015

Congo Square – v3

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/04/congo-square-v2_27.html

(editing version 2)

edited November 4, 2018

Amazing Grace – v3

https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2018/11/amazing-grace-v3.html

(editing original again)

edited April 16, 2015

Amazing Grace – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/04/amazing-grace-v2.html

July 12, 2004 18:56 –

Amazing Grace

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2004/07/amazing-grace.html

Amazing Grace solo of Aaron Neville

at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

http://www.nojazzfest.com/

https://www.facebook.com/JazzFest

https://www.facebook.com/jazznheritage 

https://twitter.com/Jazznheritage

http://www.art4now.com/cpost93.htm

during a real wedding.

The members of Los Lobos were near me, watching as I was.

I saw the wedding couple riding in a carriage

in the French Quarter that night.

&

edited April 13, 2015

Congo Square – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/04/congo-square-v2.html

July 12, 2004 19:15.

Congo Square

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2004/07/congo-square.html

Congo Square, special area at the

1993 Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans

&

Edited December 6, 2013

Night in New Orleans – v4

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/12/nightin-new-orleans-new-awlins-v4.html

(editing original version)

Edited December 5, 2013

Night in New Orleans – v3

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2013/12/night-in-new-orleans-new-awlins-v3.html

Edited September 20, 2012

“Night in New Orleans – v2”

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2012/09/night-in-new-orleans-nuhawluns-v2.html

Sunday, July 15, 2001 at 6:22:58 PM EST

edited December 6, 2001

“Night in New Orleans

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2004/02/night-in-new-orleans-nuhawluns.html

mostly about trip to New Orleans for Jazz and Heritage Festival, 1993

and again for job interview at Tulane University 1996

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 48,090 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

creator, God, music, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, jazz, New Orleans, Jazz and Heritage Festival, Aaron Neville, Mt. Zion Gospel Choir, Amazing Grace, forgiven, Christ, sacrifice,

#creator #God #July #music #poetry #jazz #NewOrleans #AaronNeville #heritage @Jazznheritage #AmazingGrace

==================

Africa, Congo, Congo Square, creator, God, jazz, July, music, New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss,

#Africa #Congo #creator #God #July #music #poetry #jazz #NewOrleans #heritage @Jazznheritage

================

creator, God, jazz, July, music, New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Richard Payne,

#creator #God #jazz #July #music #NewOrleans #NewOrleansJazzandHeritageFestival #poetry #PreservationHallJazzBand #RichardPayne #joy #gift

================

creator, God, jazz, July, music, New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Willie Humphrey, Mood Indigo,

#creator #God #jazz #July #music #NewOrleans #NewOrleansJazzandHeritageFestival #poetry #PreservationHallJazzBand #WillieHumphrey #MoodIndigo

================

creator, God, jazz, July, music, New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, poetry, Poetry Where You Live, Raymond A. Foss, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, interview, Tulane University,

#creator #God #jazz #music #NewOrleans #NewOrleansJazzandHeritageFestival #poetry #PreservationHallJazzBand #interview #Tulane #TulaneUniversity