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And the water shed...

You wanted the world to go back
to the way it was before Sept 11

When a boiler explosion
was merely that
and not an occasion to unearth
the Geiger counter
"just in case"

You watched the concert tonight on television
and marveled at how attentively
the audience listened

Schumann held them in the palm of his hand
and you, too, as you hummed along
the Kreisleriana theme

what hemmed in Schumann
what kept him from the cares of the world
what was his retreat

what made it so comforting
a cozy escape
in the convolutions of his brain

what refuge
from the insane
from the insane

These thoughts tossed themselves
like giddy signposts
you so desperately wanted to cling to
in the welter

Then the symphony ended
The people applauded
The credits aired on the screen

And the year was 1999
An eternity away in time
Before Sept 11 washed away the magic
And half of your mind

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