Last Line

People reading The Beat on Ruby’sStreet have written in to say they liked Ruby’s running poem throughout the book, but wondered if the poem was complete or had more to it.

The poem, in fact, has one short last line that isn’t in the book. Ruby says it I can share it with you.

In the Key of Heat

Sweet fleet beat of the street

Rising heat

From the white of the sidewalk

And the conga sound of the

Bonga bonga bongos

Every spring they sprout like toadstools

In the key of heat

Over Egypt and Khartoum and the

rain

In Brazil

Drum rain beating on the heads of

birds

And umbrellas while the sky goes

Clean white empty trumpet beating

RED out of the sky

And we’re moving into it or is the beat moving us

Every spring

In the key of heat

Sweet, fleet Beat Street

Waking dreams

--Ruby Tabeata

96 Perry Street, NYC

1958