Weekly Poems #42, "Blue Hearts" by A.C. Perri

Weekly Poems #42 –

"Blue Hearts" by A.C. Perri

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Sunday, June 14th, 2026

Weekly Poems #42 –

Winner: Weekly Poems Contest #42

Blue Hearts

by A.C. Perri

When women spoke silence
	  Sang birdsongs in the dark 
	  What of the loneliness?
When women walked blue off the ground
	  Wore hair up to there
	  What of the change, the stillness?
When women cried out equality! 
	  Marched for days singing their sorrows
	  What of the world?
            
When their hearts could dance again?
	  Beat with a rhythm full-up
	  On Ella, Minnie, Sister Rosetta.
 
Resist not their birdsong
The smell of nostalgia 
Drowned in heavy blue notes 
With rage in their words
Mixed with hope in their eyes   
The long linger of change in the air. 
 
The blues spilling from Valaida’s trumpet,
Brass mouth-piece with slang,
Delirium to rhythmic, the spiritual form
Alongside blue noise raising
One’s mind, a heart searching for    
Etta’s blue heart of Jazz.

Biography of the Poet
A.C. Perri has been writing for over three decades; her works have been featured in local and international journals. She enjoys the beach on calm days, when the water isn’t too flirty and sandy shores aren’t too prickly. Other interests: bathing and reading under the moonlight, away from prying eyes. Find A.C. on Instagram: @a.c.perri

Keywords: jazz, blues, Ella, Etta, Sister Rosetta

Previously Published in Weekly Poems:
"Caesura" by Michelle Brown

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