A lonely bead of sweat rolls
from his widows-peak and tumbles
down the center of his forehead.
It comes to an abrupt stop,
resting on the tip of his nose.
He doesn’t even notice - he’s too
distracted futzing with his chair.
The bead clenched on with
all of its might and then finally
succumbing to gravity, it hits
the floor. SPLAT!
His lips become tangled in a web
of frustration. Gooey, white,
cotton substance evolves in the
corners of his dry mouth. His
tongue slithers out and scoops
up the milky residue.
Purple, worm-like shapes
protrude around his
temples and forehead.
His face begins to glisten, and his
white dress shirt looks like a
wet napkin. He’s unmercifully at
war with his chair.
Finally the chair surrenders...
He sits down, tilts his head, and
uses his right forearm as a towel
to soak up the now-noticeable beads that
are slowly working their way towards
his thick, bushy brows.
His attention turns to the stylish, black
case that lies by his side. The audience
members shield their eyes as the
beams of the stage lights are captured by
the curves of this beautiful tomb.
Eagerness pumps through
my veins as he reaches down
and unbuckles the case, gently
removing his instrument from its vault.
Heavily antiqued with a moderate
amount of crazing, the wood grain is
perfectly marred with its perpendicular
grooves. The colors are warm with a
golden brown tint just like his skin.
He rests the violin on his
lap and leans the bow against
his right thigh. He takes a few, deep
breaths to perfect his posture.
His belly begins to recede.
His chest puffs out.
His shoulders slightly roll back.
His spine becomes *****.
He places the violin under his chin.
With his left hand he holds the neck,
gently pressing his fingers into the
strings. His right arm soon follows,
bringing the bow to a quick and
delicate stop a short distance below
where his fingers lie.
Suddenly everything becomes silent.
He stares over the heads of those in
the audience, not making a single
move. He’s in a trance-like state,
like a crocodile at a river bank
patiently waiting to lunge at a
wild boar.
Then, without warning, he strikes the first note!
His body jerks forward, backward,
left-to-right, moving around in all directions,
like a crazed man trying to undue his
straightjacket. He clenches his eyes with all
his might and puckers his lips, trying to hold
in the emotions that are imprisoned, but he can’t.
A single, victorious tear escapes from the madness.
As the music further consumes him, he plays
faster and faster. Each note takes him higher
towards the heavens. The bow pierces the hearts
of the angels and the gods, bringing them together.
Tightly gripping one another’s hands, they begin
to waltz.
They dance on a thick stage built from the prayers and
dreams of mankind’s wickedness. Even the beast
from below is dancing. An arm reaches down into
the depths and pulls him up to join the gathering.
She grabs his hand and waist, spinning him around
until he becomes dizzy and falls backwards.
They both laugh and begin to dance again
for all eternity.
I lean forward and turn the ****
counterclockwise, eliminating the commercial
that follows the song he just played. I look
over at him and tell him he’s one a hell of a
performer. He humbly replies, “Thank you.”
We continue to drive and listen to the radio.
I couldn’t wait for his next performance.
My co-worker, Benny, is the inspiration for this piece; he plays the air fiddle to the entirety of The Waterboys’ “The Fisherman’s Blues.” It’s a great tune if you aren’t familiar with it. Benny plays the fiddle, upright bass, squeeze box, guitar… you name it, he plays it. I greatly admire his courage and his sense of freedom to completely be himself and to not care what others think. He’s truly an inspirational guy with a heart of gold, and I’m happy to call him my friend.