College of Musical Knowledge by Amy Barlow

Lacking scratch for higher schooling
I launched into another kind of tutoring
Singing solo was Fright 101
Fronting friendly bands was Coming Up 201

Playing in a wedding band where
the bandleader put my hand
on his crotch during the ride to the gig
was EWWWWW 301

Singing onstage at Carnegie Hall
Was pass/fail and perfect bliss
Hanging with bandmates at 2 am
swigging beer and eating pretzels, Fun 107

All in all, I grade my schooling
on a curve.  On my curves, my swerves
On my hopes and dreams realized
without benefit of a diploma,

save my scrapbook and
all those smile lines on this aging face
The face of a girl who was schooled
by the real professors of jazz…

© 2012 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
For my good friend Nimue, because she asked for a poem about college experiences.  But mostly because she asked!

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