Wesla Whitfield Sings at the Redwood Room

by Julie Gerrard

She smiles from the tall chair,
draws her songs across these burnished walls -
we might be inside a cello.

Sound shimmers and vibrates,
lines flow with hard-crafted ease,
phrases waltz with the piano,
body and chair turning together,

eyes following words
that never miss their mark,
defying sadness,
the offstage wheelchair.

Cups and glasses quiet,
a last long note dissolves

and the man who whispered
all through the set
wipes his eyes after "Someone to Watch Over Me."

Julie Gerrard lives in Seattle, travels when she can, and writes poetry at home and on the road. She recently won 3rd place for her entry in the 2006 Pacific NW Writers' Association literary contest.