The Musicians by Tamara Madison

The Musicians
by
Tamara Madison

The guitar player watches

the mandolin player

intently, with anticipation

and a little smile beneath

his mustache

as the mandolin

sings its aria;

the mandolin player

watches the guitar player then

as the guitar sings

its own version of the aria.

All the while the drummer

smiles, eyes closed

as though relaxing

alertly, in a boat,

loving the sun on his face,

listening with his whole body

to the current’s deep voice.

The bass player

is an expert

at the tiller;

his is the ground

beneath the river,

the muddy bottom

where life is made.

Tamara Madison teaches English and French at a public high school in Los Angeles. Raised on a citrus farm in the California desert, Tamara’s life has taken her many places, including Europe and the former Soviet Union, where she spent 15 months in the 1970s. A swimmer and dog lover, Tamara says, "All I ever wanted to do with my life was write, and I mostly write poetry because it suits my lifestyle; I like the way one can say so much in the economical space of a poem."

Dorcas:
interesting how the music goes on and on oblivious to all else.
Posted 12/14/2013 11:16 AM

barbara eknoian:
A unique and lovely observation of musicians. Nice!
Posted 10/18/2013 04:27 PM

paradea:
Just wonderful!
Posted 10/17/2013 08:37 AM

Katrina:
A drama tutor once told me 'Your body is your instrument.' It is amazing how Tamara has tuned in to this. Thank you.
Posted 10/17/2013 07:54 AM

rksanders@charter.net:
This is lovely, Tamara--lovely in so many ways--and deeply moving.
Posted 10/17/2013 05:06 AM

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