I gave a concert in an empty auditorium
On an old upright piano that was on the stage
As part of the set of a play that was opening in a few days.
I have never played so well or so passionately
Like Thom Yorke.
There was no one there but me.
I was exploring the campus where my wife used to go to school.
It was Sunday and hardly anyone was there.
My wife was at a reunion gathering in a tent
So I decided to check out the arts center,
A huge modern structure of geometrically cast concrete
Both stark and inviting and castle-like in scale
With large vaulting and irregular spaces inside
As if designed to accommodate 10 foot people.
When I came to the entrance of the auditorium
A sign on the door said, "Performance in progress..
Do not disturb." I opened the door
To the empty auditorium taking in the rows of velvet seats
And the dark stage furnished like a living room
With a sofa and a couple of over-stuffed chairs,
A table with some books on it and a lamp
And the piano which beckoned to me.
As I walked across the fake living room
Something began to happen to me.
I became a man who boarded in a house
In some city in 1930 or 1940. When I sat down at the piano
I turned to scan all the empty seats
Just to make sure that I was truly alone
And I played my heart out. It was wild
It was messy. It was good. It was cathartic.
And I was not disturbed.
(Article changed on Jun 02, 2024 at 9:08 PM EDT)