Diane Wald

 

a blockbuster thriller of melody and desire

b sings for louise bourgeois

i am not there—this is hearsay
inadmissible in court

the room is dark and there are fading tulips
in a vase on the piano
b is singing

the room is quiet because everyone is surprised

not louise

not b

not b’s wife

not the piano

nor anyone he tells later

b is singing and his nervousness he says
makes his voice more vibrant

he opens his mouth
his hands sleep on his knees
then flutter

b’s drawings lie on a hardwood drafting table near the window

gulls hesitate
then fall

when he sings the corners of the drawings lift up

he wears his green shirt
which is soft as spring water