A Tangled Twist of Blue

A twist of blue saxophone notes rose
From the early morning arcade,
Through the blank stare of dark windows
And onto the tangled sheets of an unmade
Bed, where he dreamed of her,
Wondering if she’d changed,
Remembering the way she looked at him
That evening in the park,
When he felt a spark.

They split up on a dark,
Sad night, agreeing it was best;
She guessed they’d meet again someday
But she never left his head, in the same way
As those thirteenth century poems
She gave him in a book
Written by an Italian poet
And burnt on his soul
Like glowing coal.

© Kim M. Russell, 2016

bob_dylan_-_blood_on_the_tracks

Image found on Wikipedia

My response to dVerse Poets Pub Meeting the Bar – Bob Dylan

Today Björn is our host at the dVerse Poets Pub, where he has introduced a new prompt that will happen every year: he wants us to write something relating to the Nobel Prize in literature. This year the winner is Bob Dylan, so we can write about a favourite song, a personal experience or anything else that relates to him.  I was inspired by two songs from my favourite Dylan album which I listened to throughout the mid to late seventies and the eighties. They’re from Blood on the Tracks: ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ and ‘Simple Twist of Fate’, from which I’ve taken bits of the stories and some of the lyrics and twisted them into a poem.

Come and join us with your tribute to Bob Dylan!

48 thoughts on “A Tangled Twist of Blue”

  1. You had me at /twist of blue saxophone notes/. Dylan played with ballads, country, & the blues, but unlike Joni Mitchell (whom I worship), or Leonard Cohen (whom I emulate)–he never made much of a foray into jazz. For some reason, as I age, I can’t seem to get enough jazz (re-watching ROUND MIDNIGHT often).
    Your poem touches it all, and this prompt should get all of our creative 60’s juices flowing & fanning out as poetry.

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  8. You hooked from the opening line right away Kim with: A twist of blue saxophone notes rose ~
    Love the soul blues, the sadness of parting as potent as those fiery words of the poet ~ And great music selections too ~

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    1. I’ve been a Joni fan for forty six years! If she were to come to the UK, I’d go and see her again, but sadly I don’t think that’s possible now. I follow her website and it seems she’s much stronger than she was. I’ll carry on with the magical memories.

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  17. I too got tangled up in blue but you have sounded the song(s) context in a soulful way:
    “But she never left his head, in the same way
    As those thirteenth century poems
    She gave him in a book”

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    1. Hi Jane! It’s believed the poet Dylan mentions in Tangled up in Blue is Dante but Dylan himself is very vague about it. Some people think it could be Petrarch. In the song it doesn’t even sound like he’s singing 13th century but in the lyrics it is! For me the book has to be Dante’s Inferno.

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