October 13, 2012
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Tomaso’s Tunes
We came to the edge of the inner sea
To see where he once lived and loved
Where he medicated the afflicted
Where he scratched out his exquisite tunes
Revered by the inhabitants of this baroque metropolis
For the elegance of his largos adagiettos and the rest
As they navigated liquid streets
His was a glorious time but not for all
His tunes reflective of a joyous age
The veil of ignorance for the most part shred
Fears flown but not for all
Dukes bishops merchant-princes and their ilk
Hummed his melodies while their ladies wept
And offered themselves behind closed doors
Money-lenders consulted him when they were sick
Their spouses swooned as he bled their mates
And parcelled out his powders
And for a price – rid some ladies of their grubby yokes
Absolved for this sinister behavior by his priest
He now composed his melodies in peace
His murderous achievements unrevealed
The flower of his fame withered as he aged
After his death the parchments curled and faded
Until a fortunate find was made by a young girl
Rummaging through her granny’s dower-chest
She played some of Tomaso’s tunes upon her spinet
Heard by her lover who alleged the music to be his
A small measure of corrupt prestige
As with all – Tomaso’s tunes have dimmed with time
The ornamental neighborhoods of his fluid city
Stained by countless chemical floods
Mutated into crumbling stone-works
Its dredged lagoon ravaged by winter seas
Its once-vibrant water-courses transformed
Into smelly malodorous streams
Still – God’s scratching perseveres
Comments (2)
This is amazing; I’m left in awe each time I read it, loving so many lines that to quote them, I’d have to copy/paste the whole poem. Thank you. You’re wonderful.
@Seranish_Shores - Thank you so very much… Albinoni’s music is so great and we should be happy it has survived… It’s such a shame corporate interests caused the dredging of Venice’s beautiful lagoon to allow large vessels to reach mainland piers and allowed Adriatic winter storms to flood its canals and cause such damage…