Listening to Art Tatum Play Piano
In this piece Tatum doesn’t show off.
The right hand skips up the stairs
while the left shifts from foot to foot,
calling out as if unsure whether to follow
or turn back. The dialogue is as improbable
and baroque as a Hollywood romance
between a street kid and sophisticate.
We know it won’t work. It is only
in the script, but somehow they have found
each other, and we do see
the angle of the cheekbone
and the way the eyes do hurt.
It doesn’t matter it didn’t happen. They
are on the steps. They have reached
the landing, an almost alcove.
They are beyond the camera.
His hands rest on the keys.