CONCERTO FOR DOUBLE BASS
He is a drunk leaning companionably
Around a lamp post or doing up
With intermittent concentration
Another drunk's coat.
He is a polite but devoted Valentino,
Cheek to cheek, forgetting the next step.
He is feeling the pulse of the fat lady
Or cutting her in half.
But close your eyes and it is sunset
At the edge of the world. It is the language
Of dolphins, the growth of tree-roots,
The heart-beat slowing down.
-
He is a drunk leaning companionably
Around a lamp post or doing up
With intermittent concentration
Another drunk's coat.
He is a polite but devoted Valentino,
Cheek to cheek, forgetting the next step.
He is feeling the pulse of the fat lady
Or cutting her in half.
But close your eyes and it is sunset
At the edge of the world. It is the language
Of dolphins, the growth of tree-roots,
The heart-beat slowing down.
-