Arm music iii

On his abduction by police
for incarceration, torture,
and a Stalinist show trial,
despite his loyalty to the
Party, in Costa-Gavras' 
The Confession, the charac-
ter played by Yves Montand
settled his last glimpse of
the free life upon a youth,

Running in a park. On his
descent into heart attack 
in Venice, Thomas Mann's
Aschenbach settled his fi-
nal glimpse of life upon
another at the beach, sway-
ing from umbrellas thrust
into the sand. Britten, in
that opera, structured his
ballet upon this vision.

Even I, just yesterday, in
the asphalt of a parking lot
in darkest dour Dixie, saw
a boy break from his parents
in a headlong, giddy run to
the family truck, to fling 
himself within. Think tanks, 
left and right, have bicker-
ed for that boy throughout
our lives, to no avail. He
has elation, unaccountable.

If I had known music, would
I not embody it? If it bade 
me dance, how should I not?

This characteristic strikes
to the core. We will discuss 
American politics this year,
because we have to, for mem-
ory and desire make it ours.
The characteristic lies deep-
than the trend, deeper than
tendency or temptation; and
is essentially impregnable.

Boys! No running! is a man-
tra for defeating elation.
Even against worse policy,
it is fallacy, and would
exchange certain degeneracy
for hypothetical catastrophe.
It seems we may be offered
this choice, by alignments
stifling any other.

i     Sabine Weiss
      Paris
      1956

iii   André Kertész
      New York
      1940s