844 and 845

I played again today—the piano—

and somehow not for any audience.

But gave a humble entertainment show

to cats and dogs—my sister’s house tenants.

You’ll say that is an audience enough,

and I’ll agree. They were a better crowd

than people. Peers’ opinions are too tough

for one with humble skill as mine endowed.

But these reminded me of music’s joy—

they champed and stamped for all the notes they heard.

Play not for those whose ears you will annoy.

Play for those who say thanks without a word.

Cast not your pearls before the swines that sneer.

Let dogs have pearls, whose gratitude is clear.

~~~

There’s two kinds of the funk I listen to.

Evangeline and Vulfmon have the one.

If you don’t know them, take a day or two,

and clean the house while their “low volume”s run.

The second lives with Lawrence. Quite the band—

and let them run away with every verse.

They do low volume too, when it’s at hand,

but do their best dynamics in reverse.

The mark of a great genre is right here:

that loud can dance with quiet, while the groove

is what you really—actually hear,

so all of your appendages can move.

If that’s not what you get, don’t call it funk—

it may be good, but lacks the proper spunk.