First, sit down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is already dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are eighty-eight keys
and each
has an attorney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do not begin with C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C has been expecting you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hit an F-sharp
and see who complains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The left hand is transportation.
Give it gasoline.
Send it west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The right hand is an unreliable witness.
Let it testify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you play a wrong note,
repeat it immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once is a mistake.
Twice is a theory.
Four times is contemporary music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Avoid looking at the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They have their own problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone in the third row
is thinking about parking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone else remembering
a person who died in 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not your responsibility. Keep playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you become lost,
do not return home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The interesting neighbourhoods
have no street signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Play softer
until you can hear
the piano thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then play louder
than your biography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forget your teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forget the reviewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forget the musician
you were supposed to become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He missed the train years ago
and is probably happier for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually
your hands will play something
you did not authorize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now we are getting somewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do not interfere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The piano has been waiting
all evening
for you to get out of the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
First, sit down. This is already dangerous. There are eighty-eight keysand eachhas an attorney. Do not begin with C. C has been expecting you. Hit an F-sharpand see who complains. […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"Layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[902],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","author-rockbob","post-9726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-poem"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9726\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bobwiseman.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}