John William “Blind” Boone (1864 –1927) lost his sight at six months to encephalitis, and went on to become one of the nation’s most celebrated ragtime pianists.
1.
i stroke piano’s
eighty eight mouths. each one sings
hot colors of joy
2.
pentatonic black
keys raise up high into bliss,
born to sing my name
3.
whippoorwill, hawk, crow,
sing madrigals for blind men.
forests blooms through each note
4.
my eyes: buried deep
beneath earth’s skin. my vision
begins in her womb
5.
rain, flower, sea. they
map my dark horizon. i
inhale earth’s songbook
6.
darkness smells like the
sound of life emerging. loud,
writhing. then, faint cries
7.
my motto for life
– merit, not sympathy wins:
my fight against death.