3
The Concert
He is uneasy.
He has been told there will be music.
But when? Where?
Is it time to go now?
Reassurance doesn’t reach him.
He will forget the question in a moment.
The friend arrives, tunes up her violin.
He is awake, even with his eyes shut
it is clear he is listening.
At each pause he applauds,
says “That was great.”
The music stops, his head sinks,
eyes closed, he drifts away.
The past exists.
The present
has become timeless.
Lari Smith