Mr Bojangles

I was listening to the album, "Mr Bojangles" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, one of my favourites.  When the following verses suddenly came to me.  The poem is nothing really original, but it does express how I feel about a man long dead and a band whose recordings entertained me for hours in my youth!

Mr Bojangles
by
Tom Roach

I put on the music
and listened to an old man play
as he said himself
his fingers they were stiff
but every note was there

the rhythm it was steady
and all the beats were counted
I just wished I had the talent
to play guitar like him

the song was sad and made me cry
but did he give a damn
you could feel his feet a jigging
to the tune

then from the dark background
I swear I heard a sob
and a sadder man than I implored
“Please ....  Mr Bojangles .....  dance!”