Carlos Santana Wins Medal

by Kendall Merriam

Carlos Santana Wins Medal
     for My Brother Parker and All Drummers

Every time I listen to his music
I think of you
Maybe you are playing
In his band
Or perhaps in one of
The Muscle Shoal’s back up groups
Or maybe Joni Mitchell
Took you by the hand
Made you her drummer and lover
I never saw you dead
All possibilities are open
All those times you ran away
Perhaps you were just looking
To sit in in some bar
And prove what you could do
On a full set
Not the split conga
That I bought for you
One Christmas in Boston
For $12.00
Our parents couldn’t understand
The need for music
In your mind, heart and soul
Were you listening to sounds
From somewhere else
In our brilliant, giant Universe
Are you playing now
In Jesus’ night club
With pretty women
Eyeing you from the audience
Wanting to take you home!

Listening to “The Best of Santana”