Heart Chakra
Lying on the floor, listening
to music you never really liked,
you pay attention this time.
you pay attention this time.
Once when you were in love,
you listened to My Heart Stood Still
sung by Mama Cass, not Sinatra.
you listened to My Heart Stood Still
sung by Mama Cass, not Sinatra.
You played that song over
and over again
on your then-husband’s stereo.
and over again
on your then-husband’s stereo.
Back then you looked like her.
But it didn’t seem to matter
to the guy you liked.
But it didn’t seem to matter
to the guy you liked.
The sliver of sky you see
changes from rain
to overcast to rain again.
changes from rain
to overcast to rain again.
You won’t be walking.
You think of incense, perfume,
the kinds of scents you never smell
anymore. Of course,
there is still coffee that braces you
as you walk into Starbucks.
You think of incense, perfume,
the kinds of scents you never smell
anymore. Of course,
there is still coffee that braces you
as you walk into Starbucks.
Smelling something means
you taste it, ingest it.
You focus on your heart, that organ,
you taste it, ingest it.
You focus on your heart, that organ,
that muscle that failed Mama.
You wait for it
to skitter off-beat, to race
You wait for it
to skitter off-beat, to race
the way it did when you last drank coffee,
the way it did not
when you started liking Sinatra
when you last fell in love.
the way it did not
when you started liking Sinatra
when you last fell in love.
Although Mama Cass Elliot (born Ellen Naomi Cohen) released five solo albums, she was best known as a member of the Mamas & the Papas. As a member of that group she had recorded "My Heart Stood Still" in 1966, composed in 1927 by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. On 29 July 1974, at 32, after a concert series at the London Palladium, she was found dead in her hotel room after succumbing to heart failure, at the age of 32. The song had already been recorded on "The Concert Sinatra" in 1963 by Frank Sinatra, whose long career as an actor and singer, from the 1930s into the 21st century, garnered ssales of some 150 million records worldwide; he would record it again on "Sinatra 80th: Live in Concert" (1995).
ReplyDeleteI laughed at sweethearts I met at schools
All indiscreet hearts Seemed romantic fools
A house in Iceland was my heart`s domain
I saw your eyes, now castles rise in Spain!
I took one look at you, that`s all I meant to do
And then my heart stood still,
My feet could step and walk, my lips could move and talk
And yet my heart stood still
Though not a single word was spoken, I could tell you knew
That unfelt clasp of hands told me so well you knew
I never lived at all until the thrill of that moment when
My heart stood still
Thanks for the background, Duane. Nice picture of Mama Cass!
DeleteA beautiful piece.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry I missed your comment, Nbada. Thank you!
Delete