Two days ago limbs were falling off a dead tree in Kim’s yard and Robert was saying how he thought he could cut it down, 3 inches at a time, by climbing to the top with a rope around his waist. No one was willing to let him do it, but I could see that he was perfectly convinced of his ability to finish the job.

I love the chorus because it is my dead tree that I’ve climbed to the top off. I may very well die in the attempt (I hope to die in the attempt!) or drop branches on someone’s hapless Toyota below – but I think I can do it, and that’s all that matters at the moment. I keep on cutting it down, 3 inches at a time.

Driving with Robert and Caitlin, from Pendleton back to Indy. Listening to the radio. All 3 of us chiming in, as a chorus, on “This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius.” Our 3 voices, without premeditation, joining together. Thrilling. Realizing once again that audiences singing along with choruses (radio choruses?) is my latest obsession. Audiences knowing texts well enough to recite them. Orality by proxy. Reviving oral epic chorus-poetry.

Mariel, at Caitlin’s unbirthday, said I should write a chorus book and call it “Preaching to the Chorus.”

Aquarius…
Aaah-quaaar-iii-us….