I have my hands and feet for company —
A conversation of one —
While there is a cello to accompany
This chamber irreverberant and dumb.
A dry veneer will sound the deeper tone;
An air of nobility and gravity
Damps the fear and overwhelms the lone
Chaotic heart’s tumultuous cavity.
Pitch rises with frequency;
With irony the brightness has controlled
Poignancy in the depths of the hold,
And in the bass a darkened piquancy.
Solo companion, sit and embrace
This smooth neck, these sloping shoulders
Of resonant flesh whose curvatures are holders
Of ineffable solidity and disembodied grace.
NOTES for Students of English
Brightness – When describing sounds, “bright” means ringing, clear, or having a penetrating, slightly shrill or brassy timbre.