4’ 33”

and here we go   how will this audience
play it? for laughs? po-faced? or will they get
behind the whole Zen-Quaker thing and tune
into the ambience?   so far so good
no silliness in the hall though God knows
what the listeners at home are getting
up to   standing to attention by the radio
set I don’t think   I don’t do silences
myself much   not the public ones at least
it is amazing how far one’s thoughts can
wander in a minute from the fallen
to the price of milk   it’s not that you don’t
care it’s just so hard after all this time
and you haven’t lost anyone you know

get a grip   focus   eyes open or closed?
not a lot to look at so try closing
and listening hard   air conditioning
of course   the sound of the girl beside me
scratching her leg and something like birdsong
it could be a bird even at this hour
under a streetlamp shouting to be heard
above the traffic   more like a whistle
really   in the head   is it tinnitus?
try fingers in the ears discreetly   shit
there’s definitely a hum there over
the heartbeat   they say it can drive you mad
something else to get checked   are ear tests like
eye tests or is it a medical thing

like father had before they found the growth
on his acoustic nerve? benign but it’s
left him half stone-deaf and now the other half
is going too the poor sod shouted at
needing subtitles and really really
missing his music it’s bravely borne but
I doubt the quiet gifts him anything
much in the way of helpful insights sadly
I think we’re nearly done the clock-watchers
are getting restless and we must address
the etiquette of ending we all know
the time and the sign of our return but
at the lifting of the piano lid
do we applaud and if we do then who?