The Concert, By Vermeer - Sharon Olson

[Lawrence Robinson]

The Concert, By Vermeer

Imagine the man who stole this painting.
He sees himself seated between the two women, his face averted, safely hidden:
the woman to his right, older, his wife;
the woman at the keyboard, younger, not his wife. The painting reminds him of possibilities,
the three of them seated there,
no sound but music,
fragile notes emboldened by the tile floor,
and then no sound.
Thieves have paraded this canvas past the helpless guards, past the ghost of Isabella Stewart Gardner
and the ghost of her dog, who did not bark.
Each day the new owner takes the painting from his vault. He is learning about provenance, and theft,
how holding is not owning,
how no peace comes with power.
He hears fingers pressing the keys trying to sustain each note past time, past the limits of memory.
When he presses one of the women close,
time passes and is gone.

	- Sharon Olson