“Old Man Dixie Band” by Jason Lee Miller

249 Replies

At the little Catholic carnival
Summerhill Drive
We rest at the big top
Having ridden, having rummaged
Having tried deep fried Oreos
We almost can talk business now
.                  —Job openings, politics, who said what to whom—
But for the soaring clarinet …

We pay our respects—we can’t hear each other anyway—
We stay put—they’ll draw the raffle soon—
Almost by accident we’ve attended this concert
My mother begins dancing in her seat
The moment the trombone impossibly stretches
My little girl tugs her aunt away toward face-painting

We take turns guarding the stuff
Each of us a temporary base
Souvenir cups have consequences
.              —they’re out of diet, there are only porta-johns—
“Man, that banjo player’s really gettin’ it!” I shout at my wife
She’s focused on the clarinet
It’s hard to notice anything but
The trumpeter fades to the background
Younger than the others, maybe 50-something
The kid follows their lead

They don’t play for the money
All dressed up in slacks and button-ups in the humidity of June
Soon the clarinet and trombone compete
Not for any tangible prize

In my mind, too, a competition
Enjoy the music or wonder who they are

-Jason Lee Miller

249 thoughts on ““Old Man Dixie Band” by Jason Lee Miller”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *