You Can’t Look Pretty And Concentrate
(on seeing a film of Keith Jarrett’s Tokyo concert 1996)
It’s either/or:
You can’t look pretty and concentrate.
It is a kind of war between
The ego and the thing,
The thing, the more important.
It’s nice if you relax,
A glass in hand, donned new pressed slacks;
To smile and see them smile too,
Eye contacting, all the while
Performing so the thing will gel,
Aiming at a phrase well done.
But skill and fun don’t fuse,
The thing demanding less than booze;
The thing demanding ears and eyes,
Pinpointed agonizings that arise
From neither glam- nor clamor.
Calm inward
From chord to keyboard,
There’s a sword that cuts through
The cosmetics and the art.
You can’t look smarty pants-y smart
When working at the heart of art;
Your heart. It’s not a role
But art, combining beauty, subtle flexibility,
Intellect that doesn’t show
But steers, keeping in tow
The years it’s taken. Pretty is as pretty sees.
The job is: search and strip sans tease.
The viewer only ever sees what he is able to.
The thing has got to be continually fresh
Since flesh is weak and soon antique
But music’s thing will always speak
To souls of concentration.*
You Can’t Look Pretty & Concentrate .5.27.2003
The Processes: Creative, Thinking, Meditative; Vaguely About Music; Definitely Didactic;
Arlene Corwin
*on seeing a film of Keith Jarrett’s Tokyo concert 1996
Arlene Corwin Poetry 