No Piano for Left Hand

Aisle 2

I noticed his t-shirt: ‘Ivy League Sacred Music.’ Perhaps he could offer a clue to my riddle.

There are four people tubing on the Guadalupe River, the water level is dangerously low. Water Moccasins swim close behind. Which music would you choose for the score? Dowland’s Mr. Galliard’s Dance, or Thomas Tallis?

Aisle 5

I was debating between marzipan or marshmallows, when I spied him gliding towards the cold section. Salsa ingredients cradled across my chest, salty nuts and chips snug in his basket. His right arm floated freeze-frame at a 45° angle from his hips… It’s possible he played the Tambour?

Aisle 1

I lost a few of my serranos when he glided past the Belgian ales without a second glance, reaching instead for ordinary colas in plastic bottles. He took two by the neck, plucking them from the cooler with a curl of his right index, thumb and ring finger. Lute! He played the lute!! I walked backwards into a labyrinth of Payday and Snickers.

Check Out

He was in front of me hoisting a stuffed backpack onto the counter. At this point I was concerned about crushed chips. I imagined he would load half the mess into his mouth, straight out of the bag and use the remainder as his secret ingredient for fried chicken.

What was the final score?

A copperhead is sunning on the mesa, waiting patiently for a magnificent storm to whip up some ground action. A Palestrina Chorale or Josquin’s Ave Maria?

A flash of lightning, lizards leaping, rodents running, and the snake chasing both but ending with nothing.

What’s the score?

Nada.

There was no piano for four hands, no piano for left hand.

His shirt was second hand.

***

Ana is an artist based out of New York. For more of her work, see https://anadeportela.squarespace.com/