Moonlight Duet
The silver-struck
Piano plays
A lonely melody
As it tries
To capture
The Moon’s
Very first,
First Quarter,
Partial-pale song,
Filling midnight air—
But empty space
Breaks Piano’s heart
It’s alone
Up there—
But so, too,
Is Piano.
It cannot capture
the song in
the lonely, quiet dark
brave Trumpet
then plays in turn
calling out into
that lonely, quiet dark
cutting through
that empty space
in a brazen golden arc
heroic in its mission
to befriend somber Piano
knowing that they’re both
alone in a tuneless world
then Trumpet stops
then listens to the
unyielding abyss
for any signs
of connection
Piano stirs
From its
Mournful solitude
And returns
The gesture
That there
Is hope
Trumpet
cries out
with eternal
excitement
and vibrates
in tremendous,
newfound
joy
Piano knows
Just what
To say
“In Friendship
We are mighty.”
Trumpet
says,
“in
friendship
i am—”
“No,
No,”
Says
Piano.
“In Friendship
We are mighty.”
Trumpet
Repeats,
“in
friendship
we
are
mighty!”
In their
Music they
Have learned
To work
Together, together
Piano & Trumpet
Now play
With consoled,
Rekindled hearts
And with
A goal
To sing
The Moon’s
Very first,
First quarter,
Partial-pale,
Silver song,
As one
Voice
22 thoughts on "Moonlight Duet"
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Gorgeous! This form is beautiful and the narrative is so inviting and relatable—”they’re both / alone in a tuneless world.” The repetition is perfect and brings us to the wonderful closure. Love, love, love this!
😀 this friend speaks my mind 😀
Ditto ditto
Such a great comment, Michele. Thank you!
Eric – Yes, we should all have “rekindled hearts”! What a wonderful way to present the story/song of Piano and Trumpet and Moon, a bluesy kind of jazz. Love when you join them at the end. Very inventive!
Thanks, Sylvia! I struggled with the end to get it to work. I’m happy you caught that.
Hey Eric,
Didn’t see a post from you today, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed getting to know your work! Have a good summer and hope to see you next June!
I was caught up with life today–of all days…
But it was very kind of you to leave me with such a warm farewell. It’s been an absolute pleasure reading your poems this month and having your constant encouragment.
All the best, Sylvia!
Eric, you’ve crafted something amazing here! Of course the hard work put into the form pays off brilliantly, but the conceit of the dialogue and all the meaning–wow! I like: “knowing that they’re both
alone in a tuneless world”
Meaningful feedback, Greg! Thank you.
Breathtaking: the shape, the words, and the ending “As one/
Voice”.
Well done!
Thank you, Pam!
Gorgeous interplay between Trumpet and Piano. Goes right to my heart.
Thank you, Larry! Glad you enjoyed it.
Great ending, As one voice.”
Thank you, as always, John! Been a pleasure reading your work and having your support this month. All the best.
Poetry in motion doesn’t begin to describe this incredible work. Add animated instruments, profound dialogue, tons of imagination and you get this feast for the soul. I wish I had read more of your work this month, Eric, but better late than never.
It would be impossible to get to everyone, and I agree, better late than never. But thank you for reading and commenting when you could. It’s been a pleasure reading your work this month. All the best, Lee.
Such a beautiful “flow” of floating words dancing across the page! Absolutely lovely!
Thank you, Mary! Kind words.
This is so astonishing and beautiful. I love the flow of this magical narrative following the relationship between the piano and the trumpet in concert with the moon. I very much love the designs created by the shapes on the page! It is truly exceptional!
Thank you, Ann! And thank you for your encouragement this month! It’s been fun.