Crossing swiftly across the stage
People following with hushed footsteps
All in uniform; glorious black and blue
People staring from the audience
Faces darkened by bright lights
First performance of the year; are we ready?
Conductor's introduction and tap of the stick
Instruments up awaiting the downbeat
Snare drum's beginning roll and the march begins
Fingers flying, somehow patterns remembered
Not really seeing the notes; just letting the heart lead
Soul and horn becoming as one
Until the end and I breathe again
I had forgotten where I was until the applaud
Reality resurfaces, and I find myself onstage
Breathing hard as I gave the best solo of my life
And it had been my first
A contest entry
- The Field or Court; the Stage; the Symphony Hall by Peripatetic.
1500 points, ended December 7, 2008, 8 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
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The poem flies swiftly, as quickly as a thought through the poet’s consciousness. Consciousness seems to take a momentary leave of absence as muscle memory and practice, practice, practice command the body in performance. Athletes refer to it as being “in the zone”, a moment in which they have almost an out of body experience recalled later as something viewed rather than one of participation. Such a zone is perfectly realized for the musician in this piece.
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