Viola, Viola

Viola, Viola

1.
In agony as to how the heck
I could finish the Viola concerto,
I cut and pasted some bars
and it seemed to appear
as if by magic.

A little polishing
and I'll be on to the agony
of trying to come up
with a 'cello concerto.
There's a lot of competition
for a 'cello concerto.

Not so much for a viola,
viola is not as appreciated
as it ought to be.
People think of it
as a low violin
when it really does
have a distinct voice.

Doug Palmer late November 2008

2.
I think of a viola
as a lonesome late October wind
creaking the oak rafters
of a five hundred old church,
with just a whisp of mourning mouse
in the higher notes.

Jannie Funster late November 2008