Day 619 of the daily poems. Our poet Anne Symons says “I tried writing a poem in words after hearing Respighi’s symphonic poems.” And here are her inspired words …
Roman Trilogy: after Respighi Symphonic Poems
I
The Trevi fountain at noon
join the procession of water pulled by a cascade of notes
swirl and tumble caught by brass and the shock of cymbals
fix your fingers in the mane of a sea horse ride
with Triton and his trumpet to the ocean’s edge
dive through bubbles of woodwind surface to the shimmer of harp
drift closer calm comes with the clarity of bells
II
Circus Games
stones reflect memory four hundred years of death heralded
by flugel horn snare drums and shivering tambourie
growling brass brings in the beasts martyrs wait to sing
with angels in ascending strings hell holds heaven in conversation
punctuated by a bass trombone breath spills on sand streaming
chords then silence
III
Nocturne: Pines of the Janiculum
moon rises carried by the clarinet shaping the silhouette
of two-faced Janus against a darkening sky violins fly to roost
in his branches the god of doors opens to the night
creatures scuttle through bassoons and hunt among the tubas
waiting for the flute to silver-light their path a dreaming oboe
brings the breeze and then the nightingale
Anne Symons
This poem was first published in Poetry Salzburg Review number 40, 2023