M . J . I u p p a
990,000 Decisions in a Steeley Pause
after Jennifer Higdon’s flute composition, Steeley Pause
Sound. Sparks of traffic against skyscrapers, against gray bricks & watery windows & revolving doors. Sound. Pixilated insistence— pin-wheeling inside one’s slippery mind, the commotion of go— noon’s bright light, walking without weight for that bite where thoughts shadow pigeons’ wing beat, soaring in unison to a city’s gargoyle ledges that keep an eye on sound’s ocean wave whirling its way down old liberty— its unruly hunger, followed by high-pitched laughter. Your awkward moment, teetering on a curb, unyielding to traffic’s three decisions made for you— before you swallow hard and take the plunge to go against your melody of sound— your sound memory.
