“silence in three parts”

by Victoria Punch

I

the orchestra tunes their A – that

warm string and weave

curling over the heads of the evening crowd

who turn to each other and fold their

conversations away until 

the intermission

II

the conductor stands

all eyes on the darkness.

drapes (like water,

like silks) fall:

the veil unturned.

he shuffles in the hush and rises

III

eyes meet, tuba to 

bass, violin gaze, straight

as a bow, the baton

flicks, his breath is seen in the lift 

of his shoulders, he strikes the first beat 

and marks the end as it begins

Victoria Punch is a voice coach and musician. Curious about voice and identity, the limits of language, and how we perceive things; her poetry comes from these explorations. Published in the6ress, The Mum Poem Press (guest ed. Liz Berry) and Sledgehammer Lit. Forthcoming in Nightingale&Sparrow. Found on Instagram and Twitter @victoriapunch_