Opening Night

It’s hard to imagine, as we sit in these
warm, upholstered seats, with an orchestra
tuning up for the symphony, of what
it was like here in January: an empty shell,
full of the winter weather, mist and rain
beginning to freeze on the concrete floor.
Think of it now while the audience settles
and pushes its stockinged feet into the carpet:
an icy wind on the balconies, an inch
of snow in the dressing rooms, and builders
warming their hands at the brazier,
right there, where a cellist is tuning
her strings by the velvet curtains.

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