San Jose Symphony Reception (Flagrante delicto)
by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

The bald man in plaid playing the harpsichord
stopped short and sidled over
to the sideboard
and copped a piece of Moka
on a silver plate
and slid back and started playing again
some kind of Hungarian rhapsodate
while the lady with the green eyeshades
leaned over him exuding
admiration & lust
Half notes danced and tumbled
out of his instrument
exuding a faint odor of
chocolate cake
In the corner I was taking
a course in musical destruction
from the dark lady cellist
who bent over me with her bow unsheathed
and proceeded to saw me in half
As a consequence my pants fell right off
revealing a badly bent trombone which
even the first flutist
who had perfect embouchure
couldn’t straighten out