Have you ever heard an E flat
hammering a Steinbeck string
Pearl-white keyed on Mice and Men

knowing automated correction
took away the concert piano
from the pianist who passed away

replacing it for a favorite piece of
printing press output and childhood
memory in an age of mechanical reproduction

allow me to hear that man play with
breaths counting down to this day
today when condolences are resounding

across the score written by a name of fame
chops chopping Chopin counterpoint
reasoning largesse demanding all space

and yet recorded history
is a rhythmic left hand of
human prehistoric colored rockface

stone Bach, Steinbach, Steinway
hidden from a conscious Sun
just a stone throw away

in the painting across, behind blue trees
with protruding shadows by
an unknown and loved French painter

with her multitudes of brains
would an octopus play blank ink
preludes differently on sharps ‘n’ flats

my art application lived
a controversial collective across
a note-taking of love

                      —animasuri’24

—-•
trigger

Allen, D. (2024, March 23). Maurizio Pollini, Celebrated Pianist Who Defined Modernism, Dies at 82. His recordings of Beethoven and Chopin were hailed as classics, but his technical ability sometimes invited controversy. Online: The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/23/arts/music/maurizio-pollini-dead.html