The Violin Case

Nearly two years ago, I saw a man on a sidewalk in Munich, playing a beautiful note on a violin. Here is the impression it made upon me

His eyes were closed to sights outside
But gazed at wonders deep within
And to the Muses of his dreams
He played his blissful violin

A hundred feet did pass him by
Oblivious to them he played
Their pity or their silent awe
Could not his inner realm invade

A master of his heart and mind
Like silken strands his notes did flow
Feelings and thoughts metamorphosed
In pristine music soft and low

Neglected and inglorious
The violin case lay on the ground
Once keeper of his Music's Soul
Now copper disks in it were found

If he can transcend earthly joy
Through doorways carved with bow and strings
What need has he for trinkets small
Or any mundane valued things

And yet perhaps he needs his bread
His flesh serves as his fetters strong
Or better yet to fuel his cage
Inspiring it to sing a song

And then he stops; enchantments break
And earth returns to shake his hand
The violin embraces its case
And on the sidewalk he does stand

One dull red sun goes slowly down
Another sun will swiftly rise
The case will free his soul again
To fly in Utopian skies

Reviews

[Gleb Zavlanov]

If he can transcend earthly joy
Through doorways carved with bow and strings
What need has he for trinkets small
Or any mundane valued things

This quatrain really appealed to me. There's such a good moral behind it: as long as you do what you love, you need not anything else. This certainly applies to poetry, a gateway to bliss and utopia. As always, wonderfully done.

[Augustus]

Thank you Gleb!

[Annette Jay Sweeney]

This is a very interesting piece. I love how you incorporated a partial rhyme scheme. I'm easily distracted by rhyme, so I often don't enjoy it. However, in little doses like what you have done here it's a pleasant surprise. I love the subject matter of this piece. It's beautiful that you focus on the case, normally a forgotten item when one thinks of a violin and the relationship with the musician. Keep writing, this is great.

[Christina May Shanaberg]

You did an amazing job capturing how making music can take the musician to a different place for a while. It was written like a musician was writing it, by someone with an understanding and appreciation for the wonderful release that making music is. I enjoyed the story of this poem very much!