i was lost
reading a story
about the devil
of japan
in world war two
or trout fishing
off a deserted
farm road in
rural somewhere
it isn’t important
what was important
was the drum solo
i had slipped
into the
happy groove
of scenery
let the words
pull me from the room
when a staccato
knocking grabbed me
by the aorta
a jerked me back
to find the chaos
where the piano
faded away
the bass died down
and all there was
to fill the void
a tornado of drums
slapping the tired
from a weary soul

by the time
the keys began
to soothe the sudden
savagery in the room
the devil
or lost brothers
or those
tricky trout
whatever it was
had taken control
once again
except in my
chest where those
drums still echoed
a faint reminder
of the cosmic wonder
in the rampant chaos
harnessed fully
by a maestro