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lyrics

AIR GUITAR


Out of all my instruments, the most prized,
the one I allow no one to touch.

The color of sunlight and atmosphere,
and when tilted the right way,

as if you were going to play it like a violin,
the faint hint of turquoise. I perform best

with the blinds drawn and the lights off: the electric
lime of the Pioneer Reverberation Stereo Receiver

is enough to keep bare toes from jabbing into table legs,
knuckles cracking against doorjambs while windmilling.

After work, after I’ve uncorked the bottle,
the wine granting my first wish, I slide under the strap

and unravel my fingers on Wes Montgomery licks.
It’s well past midnight when I staccato through the house,

chugging on “Hell’s Bells” as I rock on my heels,
balancing on flame-tips. And it’s long after

the bars on Pleasant Street have closed, the sidewalks
overflowing with feedback and faces bent out of tune

that I play along with the song they’re humming,
the one about home, and how it’s a quartertone,

somewhere between C and C#,
and how we remarkably find the right key.

credits

from All This Living: Selected Recorded Poems, released February 26, 2023

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Joshua Michael Stewart Massachusetts

Joshua Michael Stewart is a poet and musician living in Western Massachusetts.

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