I have heard that a beautiful girl is like a melody, but how about a virus? Poet Dianne Silvestri reveals how a tune can snake into our very marrow.

Poet Dianne Silvestri

Melody on the Loose

At first it snaked its way

through the back files

of my mind, looping

through dusty photos

and folders there,

barely disturbing

my agenda for the day,

but later permeated

more recent shelves,

absorbed memories

into its trail with a

cloying chorus

growing louder,

re-circling its path,

smoking out the buzzing

of my current thoughts,

until the haunting tune

revealed its true colors,

a virtual virus chewing

through the circuits

of my brain, forcing

my exclusive focus

on the moment

it blared from the band

in the corner of the bar

adding a musical score

as you strolled from my life.

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To have your work considered for the LYRICAL send it to:
Doug Holder  25 School St. Somerville, Mass. 02143
dougholder@post.harvard.edu