An Old Favourite

Spring. Longer days, though cold. I’ve recently attended some workout sessions to get back in shape. I also do some tai chi on Tuesdays and yoga on Thursdays.  Plus, acupressure each day

Recently, I was trawling through files on my laptop and I found an old beauty – a poem I’d written based around a Hungarian gypsy violinist. Below I present the new edited version, along with the original.

Note the move away from punctuation and the single line paragraph format.

Happy reading!

The Unseen Violinist

the unseen violinist plays late at night
drawn-out tones tremble with emotion
a Czardas set in harmonic minor
flattened sixths that speak of other worlds
longing
beauty
despair

the tempo quickens, the mood switches
the violinist’s bow dances across the strings
a wagon speeding across a country path
wheels echoing as the night sky watches

the violinist plays with ease
a lively dance


original: written before Lockdown

The unseen violinist plays late at night.

Long drawn out tones that tremble with emotion.

A haunting Czardas set in harmonic minor,

Flattened Sixths that speak of other worlds,

Of longing and beauty and despair.

The tempo quickens, the mood switches.

The violinist’s bow dances across the strings,

Like a wagon speeding across a country path,

The sounds of the wheels echoing as the night sky watches.

The violinist plays with ease.

A lively dance.

Piano

Winter has given way to spring. British Summer Time. Longer evenings and flowers, although the weather remains unpredictable.

In the early evenings, I practise the piano, using headphones to avoid disturbing the neighbours. I’m currently reworking the Prelude in G-sharp minor by Rachmaninoff, the C-minor Arpeggio Study by Chopin (no 24), the Etude in D-sharp minor by Scriabin, and a Rhapsody by Brahms. In particular, I’ve been concentrating on the technique required, with a focus on relaxation of the neck, shoulders and arms.

I’ve kept quiet about this so far – but since the autumn of 2022, I’ve taken up a relatively unknown Acupressure-based art and have committed to the self-management aspect on a daily basis.  Inevitably, this has helped enormously with shoulder tightness and discomfort, as well as with some of  the complications caused by Lockdown.


In closing, I share a prose-poem that I wrote about four years ago, which is based on an old novel draft concerning a group of piano students who meet at an International Summer Piano School.  The atmosphere of the place and a relationship with one of the other students has a bewildering effect on the main character, who, in the poem below, searches for the other student, having become obsessed, even though he has only known her a few days.


I hear the pianist practising the Poeme Tragique
rapid octaves set against falling sixteenth notes
loud and furious

I search through the grounds in the clammy August air
past clusters of trees and miniature water fountains
down the grassy mound to the Remembrance Garden
sweat pouring from my forehead and face

And still the pianist plays
cascading madness
his fury and despair matching my own

And still I search
but in vain

Spring Scenery

Sand, water, salt and sky
Blue oceanic laughter
The ice cream van
Bleating seagulls
Clusters of rocks
The solitary garden at the foot of the cliff

Church bells ring
Chimes from far away
Fanfares, near whispers
A choir of angels

Sounds carrying over the water
Through fields
As the sun sets
Painting the sky magenta


© Lawrence Estrey 2021

Poetry

The Apple Pond

The apple pond sits at the bottom of a field

circled by hedges and trees

its water gloomy and muddy and still

sprinkled with leaves and twigs

The apples mature

only to tumble into the pond one at a time

where they rest on the water rotting and fermenting

decade after decade

Spring has come early this year

helping the apples blossom

filling the air with the scent of sun and grass

painting the pond different shades, different hues


© Lawrence Estrey 2021

Poetry

Spring Is On The Way

Hi, I’ve been exceptionally busy recently and haven’t had much time to post.

Today, I thought I’d make a few comments about the weather (a safe British topic of conversation).


Like most people, I dread autumn and winter. Cold starts and dreary skies.

My favourite season is spring, especially as the evenings get progressively lighter.

This week I’ve noticed a huge difference in the weather. More light. Longer days. Earlier dawns.

It makes a difference.

Certainly, we should anticipate more cold spells over the next month or so, but spring is on the way.

Just a few of my thoughts.

A Nasty Cough, And Spring

February, and a touch of spring in the air.

The sun shines but the evenings are chilly. I wear sunglasses most days to protect from the light.

I’m not working on a novel at the moment. I haven’t decided what to do next in terms of writing fiction, but I continue to post poetry on my sister blog.

Today, I spent a while playing the piano and I rattled of Beethoven’s Pathetique and Moonlight Sonatas, along with works by Chopin, Liszt and Brahms.

Meanwhile, I’ve succumbed to a nasty cold and my glands are up, hopefully not for long.

That’s about it for now.

Back soon.

Snow, At Last

At last, the first sprinkling of snow has come to London and this morning I had to take special care as I walked down the driveway to the main road.  Meanwhile, the weather is generally bleak and cheerless.  Winter. I keep busy with my preparation for the third novel, piano practice and language studies, and brave the weather for exercise when I can.

Hurry up, Spring!

Spring Weather And Muggy Heat

After a long winter, spring finally came a few weeks ago, but now the skies have turned mostly grey again and the weather has become humid.  I haven’t had much time to concentrate on my photos, but yesterday I caught several images in Highgate Wood, North London, while walking a friend’s dog.  For a long time, I’ve taken an interest in black and white photography. I worked on yesterday’s images in GIMP (Levels, Color Balance, Saturation and Hue), then turned one of the originals into greyscale and concentrated on the contrast.  Heady stuff.

 highgatewoodmay woodsin pringbw