A POEM: Saxophone Saprano, by Joshua Nelson

 A POEM, Saxophone Soprano, by Joshua Nelson


Thank Gabriel for that sound,
The way he plays that saxophone.
My God, that sound, that sound—
Ten thousand musicians couldn’t dare try
To create that beautiful music.

Play on, Gabriel, play on.
All the saxophones in the world
Wouldn’t compare, for it moves me,
My soul now smiles.
Your song has no words without it.
There would be no birds to wake
And sing the morning’s light.
Even at night the moon follows your sound.
All the waters move, and those who are earthbound.

Play on, Gabriel, oh God, play on.
Was it your song that knocked down the walls of Jericho?
Was it your sound that raised Lazarus from the ground
And made the children run through the meadows?
His movement, as if he is in his own world,
Taking you to a place you never heard.
He holds a crown on his head
That invites every queen to sit near his bed.

Play on, Gabriel, play on.
Whatever is on your mind has to be divine,
Poetry that no words can find,
Love shown with art that is one of a kind,
Compassion by a couple of notes that you thought your heart could never find.

Play on, Gabriel, my Gabriel, play on,
Oh, that song he plays, no words can come of it,
No speech could match a song.
For me that horn will always be my sweet melody.
What beautiful love I found.