Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Symphony for One


An elderly Chinese woman
wearing a great coat 
strolls past in Lincoln Park.  
Her head arches over music sheaves,
she carries in one hand. 
With the finger of the other, she etches air, 
silently conducting a symphony.
It’s a cool September morning, made cooler
by shadows on the high bluff.

An audience of red Madronas bends to listen.
Wind choruses through branches.
Beyond Puget Sound's sand and rocky shore  
the distant Olympics crest in harmony.
I pause in wait for the aria.