At lunchtime,
at certain times of the year
At the job
I walk over to
the main building and
Stand by the
side doors of the great hall
Stealing
minutes of the day like
Stealing
silver pennies
Inside there
Sit many young
people
Well
Younger than
me
Rehearsing
orchestral pieces
The cello and
viola sing and the
Brass plays
and
The baritone
Blasts out
some Strauss
Or some such
I peer through
the glass
Hidden from
them
Observing
their herculean efforts
And I recall
my college days
Drinking
Smoking
Sleeping
Working my ass
off for
Not much
reward
These kids
here
Now
Have a focus
And a calm way
about them
And seem quite
grown up
In comparison
to those days
more than 20 years ago now
And
I close my
eyes as
The cello and
viola sing and the
Brass plays
Delicate and
strong
And the sounds
they make
Balance out my
world
If only for
those few
Minutes.