n., mass
keen on sharing
(fewer hypotheses of behavior were entertained then)
At sixteen he assumed
universal appeal
brought the Francescatti to high school English
& the Fiery Greek Livieratos assented
sensing quiet spectacle instead
smiled only to herself
generally untraveled,
the Rolling Stones ears
knew nothing of New York premieres
much less Viennese boulevards & practice rooms
At sixty the illusion
fed by different
cries & moans unheard at sixteen
this time In Carnegie Hall
not the impresario
seat 19 nineteenth row
from Gil Shahan Stradivari Comtesse de Polignac
after holding his breath
through the cadenza
anonymity
& marveling at that
self-absorption
-- to be at once free of
yet deprived of futures
then thought possible --
glissandi
even at Carnegie his obsession
was solitary
heard at the same time
the full roar around him
marauding disinterest
of culture become cult
still he wept with joy
Brahms keeping it all
outside Fortress Carnegie Hall
just far enough away
18 October 2011