August 6, 2008
Beautiful secrets
…listen
…about the musicHere’s a secret about the tuba.
Eastward, across the San Juans to their looming guardian Mount Baker.
I snapped this from the plane (well, I suppose that’s obvious unless I have mystical levitating powers that I have heretofore not announced) a few days ago, before this week’s afternoons of searing sunshine and vivid blue kicked in.
It does not look like this now. That’s because “now” is the middle of the night, and the brightest stars, some falling and shooting and whizzing across overhead, most others staying put for the moment, have taken up all that space in the sky. I had ventured into the darkness a little while ago to place something in the mailbox, wondering what, if any animals I might surprise as I walked into the woods to the road. It was I who was surprised, by the unusually balmy air that embraced me and by the desperately sweet smell of plants as they surrender to summer. I stood still and inhaled, and my face was enveloped by a scent I could never identify but do not want to live without. Instead of continuing back to work, I laid outside in the hammock looking up and out and inward all at once, marveling at the perfection of 3 a.m. and the beautiful secrets it contains.
Glenn Buttkus said,
August 6, 2008 @ 5:20 am
Ah yes, Alex at 03:00am. Wow, what a nice experience you had. The nights have been very warm, even down here in America. Your latest poem follows:
Stargazer
It is
the middle of the night,
and the brightest stars,
some falling
and shooting
and whizzing across
overhead,
most others staying put
for the moment,
have taken up
all the space
in the sky.
I had ventured
into the darkness
a little while ago
to place something
in the mailbox,
wondering what,
if any animals
I might surprise
as I walked into the woods
to the road.
It was I
who was surprised,
by the unusually balmy air
that embraced me,
and by the desperately sweet smell
of plants
as they surrender
to summer.
I stood still
and inhaled,
and my face was enveloped
by a scent
I could never identify
but do not want
to live without.
Instead of continuing back
to work,
I laid outside
in the hammock
looking up and out
and inward
all at once,
marveling
at the perfection
of 3 a.m.
and the beautiful secrets
it contains.
Alex Shapiro August 2008
Glenn Buttkus said,
August 6, 2008 @ 5:38 am
God, the musical clip really sets the scene, MFTBI @ 2:17, from your longer piece, MUSIC FOR TWO BIG INSTRUMENTS @ 7 minutes (2000). Most composers never would have mated the tuba and the piano, but hey, Alex is not most composers. The clip opens with the clarity of playing a piano slowly, deliberately, gently, and it is joined by the embrace of the stout tuba, and they seem to amble hand in hand into the night, underscoring our insights as you stare into the stars, realizing that we are never alone when we stargaze. We are simply reminded of the immensity and sweetness of our little mortality.
I like what Dennis Bathary-Katsz wrote about MFTBI: “She treats the tuba exactly like a French horn with an extended lower range, but takes advantage of its power without losing lyricism.” I especially liked what Sherry Kloss wrote, “One might consider this a soundtrack for the movie of your dreams.” I could not agree more.
Glenn