posthumous

          I sweat
a sliver
of am-
erican
song,
as our
black
is wont
to do.
          I died
too, young,
as our
black
was pressed
into shell-
ac wax.
          They say
Bird lives!
—if you
believe
in the spirit
of words,
there’s truth:
                              This
                    is ghoulish
          business.

Sections in italic taken from a quote by Dial Records producer Ross Russell, in reference to Charlie Parker’s state during the infamous Breakdown Session, which culminated in Parker’s admittance to Camarillo State Mental Hospital.

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