I WOULD WATCH THEM COME IN

Gingerly stepping, halting, stepping again

and again,  cotillion-like, arm in arm

they carefully sway their way

up symphony hall,

then into the amphitheater.

White hair mostly,

clutching cane or walking stick,

nicely dressed for an afternoon outing.

 

They are the staunch brigade

that has waded through

two world wars, plagues and pandemics—

their youth and young adulthoods

ablated and effaced by carnage,

devastation, and a preponderance

of grief that lasts forever.

 

This afternoon they choose

to come out to play

before the sun sets,

they rush to wallow in dreams.

The orchestral din tuning up,

festered with tones clashing,

crashing with syncopated lurching,

then dropping out one by one

into quietude.

 

Jean Cassidy

Copyright: September 2023

 

Musical performance involves bringing a silent potential into existence. When an orchestra performs, this requires up to a hundred individuals to manifest their shared understanding of the sound. At the centre of this creation is the conductor; a musician who makes no sound themselves, but acts as a conduit for the vitality and meaning which the music has to offer.  FOR MORE Beshara Magazine