THE RED VIOLIN, wood sculpture by Candace Knapp
28 inches x 14 inches x 14 inches Photo Bjorn Andren
THE RED VIOLIN
Did you like the Rachmaninoff last night?
I thought we did a pretty good job.
It was exhausting though
that’s why I’m sitting on this pillow
my back hurts
You know I lead a pretty quiet life
spend a lot of time practicing
the only wild ride I had this week was Rocky II
( it was Rachmaninoff’s second symphony
but we who are in the business have our pet names)
It is thrilling when we join our voices together
and I am alive, vibrating, creating subtle nuances, little rivulets of notes.
At times the romance overtakes us and we embrace the audience with waves of sound.
We ride the music all the way to the finale.
I need to know that you heard me. I need to know that you liked it.
I have an embarrassing secret, a recurring daydream.
It is a cool evening.
I am on the front porch of a wood frame house in the mountains of Tennessee.
I am in the hands of an old man with long greasy hair
and he is playing fiddle music on me.
He stomps his foot. His shoes smell like pigs.
His wife is dancing all by herself out in the grass.
The full moon is shining through the trees.
His two sons are whirling and laughing with their girlfriends .
We go on like this until the sun comes up
and I’m not tired at all.
Please don’t tell anyone about this.
Dear Red....
ReplyDeleteThere is a line from a poem by David Whyte...."anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you"
Ditch Rocky and the pillow. Hitch a ride to Tennessee in a red 57 Chevy pickup. Pack some beef jerky and dark chocolate for the road. Maybe visit Graceland to pay your respects to the King before heading for the mountains. You'll know the right trail when you see it. Saunter and Sashay down that path. Maybe do a little waltz. Breathe deeply. Follow the full moon.