At Altitude then no more light
David P. Miller
after Tabula Rasa, for two violins, string orchestra, and prepared piano, by Arvo Pärt
part 1: in motion
saw blade one ear to other ear then
gong ridges open what door what opens
one violin string narrow falls to the ridge edge
bells their different edge core vibrations
metal’s own spaces
violin at altitude not flying
not ascending dwells in its own height
height without contrast
one string keens keening cut by
string masses tread hard out of silence not from hidden space
don’t exist first then do
in space absolute without contrast of absence
hard footfalls then disappear not pause turn behind themselves
lost to hearing procession turns behind itself
each tread its own entity no fours no threes no twos
string masses strike between each rapid footfall space opens for a next heartbeat
flatfoot dance flatlined skipping
footfalls thicken set down hard
piano crashed piano gongs and bells born from it push low
deep root piano body in a room of windmill arms
factory floor of windmill arms dodged like
cavern of random pendulums on razor string
help fallen
nothing in the cranium but these strikes these bells
part 2: toward motionless
rocking strings rock stillness like star clusters
piano metallic voice an array of bubble gongs from
an ocean floor dark ocean floor fountains
bubbles across the water surface
currents in the lake surface currents curl across one water sheet
body falling from surface down
the strings are fish also
chandelier star constellations become fish
body floats face down on a surface banked by forest
falls through layers of water
kelp waves
fountain detonates geyser from ocean bottom
looking eyes open downwards into constellations of fish
eyes dead eyes open eyes see downwards
this body lets fall through layers of water
this body windmills
fish beneath carpeted
in falling eyes open face down through layers of water
body finds spaces in ranks
rows of stringed instruments which are fish
in their long ovals their movement the same calm
always same calm
choirs breathe from deep water
as the piano sends a geyser
bubbles ascend toward the body falling drop back from the body
fish become few body sinks
almost only the one body itself
the more fallen the body the further the geyser recedes
eyes dead eyes open eyes watch the depth
come toward
bulbs of light come
fish who carry lights in darkness
feed in darkness
body falls toward spheres
chandelier constellations of lights carried by fish
their scales shine in instants