oil painting: l. da. vinci / digital image: r. murre
Primo,
Secundo
by
Margot Peters
So
long we've played duets,
hips
spreading on piano bench,
now
merging, you Humpty
me
Dumpty, making music together.
You
play above middle C
hands
darting like finches
over
the green field of my bass.
I
drive the bus below, striving to set
the
tempo.
We
clap earmuffs on Mozart's bust
to
spare him the bad notes.
Schubert
throbs on your vintage Steinway,
Ravel
falters on my Yamaha grand.
You
said to me yesterday: "I've always
wanted
to play secundo."
Conductor
lowers his baton
Orchestra
scrapes back its chairs.
Truly,
have we been making music
for
thirty-five years, you wanting secundo?
Do
I know you, friend?
~
first published in Free Verse
