Reuben Jackson, D.C. Jazz Expert and Poet

a beloved light extinguished too soon

I’ve taken my time to think about Reuben Jackson and our friendship, his poetry, his magnanimous spirit with boundaries, and his love of music, especially jazz.

I tend to take years to craft poems about loved ones who’ve passed away and many more years to bring myself to a point where I can read those poems without crying, or mostly not crying. With Reuben, it was different. The day I learned he passed away, I wrote a poem.

Just one stanza.

It was all immediate and expressed sadness but it was more about his spirit.

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Feel free to leave condolences or memories at Legacy.com.

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I won’t get too much into the happiness he had discovered over the last several years, but it was a joy to hear him so happy — lighter in spirit.