The Percussionist

a poem by Debjit Chatterjee

So there he played
The lounge enthralled in rhythm
He strained and paused
The essence of pure delight
Smoke kept company
Moods dimmed and blazed
And so he played
And skittered in time
Some fettered notes
And bettered woes
A life through music
Not a life of music
He contemplated
He had surely lost the bargain
The strings couldn’t bear
His animosity to share
And so he played