Two poems dedicated to opera
On Hearing Verdi’s Requiem
Fragile beauty gives way to pulsating fluctuations
enigmatic expressions of epic grief
Such is the end of an era of beauty
that surrenders to the ravages of time
To live again in each performance
trumpeted scenes of past grandeur
The bass-baritone undertone of the sinister
single beating echoes in the caves of darkness
Soprano sketching out expansive emotion
she holds each note in the flux of heaven
Chorus connects to human consciousness
humming the grieving reaction to a death
As the punctured skin bleeds
so too does the wounded soul sigh
and in these sighs, one hears music.
On hearing him play: An ode to musicianship
(Dedicated to T.P)
Steinway voluptuousness
poised seductively upon the stage
Spotlit footsteps disrupt the moment of admiration
pages turn to the beginning
the anticipation felt as musical inspiration is inhaled
beauteous voice exhaled
Seeing him play
beholding a dreamer’s dream
voyeuristic fantasy
he is not here
he has stolen the moment to share
with his beloved, Music
in an intimate embrace
Hearing him play
flawless interpretation boldly resonates
how could each note echo a heartbeat?
lest it is from the one heart
as familiar voice whispers
sensuous secrets to delight
each nuance fully expressed
Remembering the moment
emotions evoked
the inner pool stirred with each finger
stillness rippled by the dimensions of emotion
the body recalls
visceral performance
shaped by the hands of an artist.
