Concert at the Doge’s Palace with Fans at Ink, Sweat and Tears

‘Concert at the Doge’s Palace with Fans’, is now published on Ink, Sweat and Tears. Huge thanks to the fabulous Helen Ivory for selecting it. What’s more, it has been shortlisted for their Poem of the Month. Gosh!

I’m so pleased that they picked this particular poem because it actually happened unlike most stuff I write. Tilda and I went to Venice for the Biennale, as we do when it’s on, and I really recommend it for its extravagant creativity.

One late afternoon we were enjoying an Aperol spritz in a backstreet bar when a man sat at the table next to us, dressed inappropriately considering the heat, in a suit, with a wheely case. He was distraught. Anyway etc etc, his suitcase, when I opened it, was terribly neat. Even his shoes were in bags. I got his phone charged. Talked. I tried to get his problems sorted but we had a concert to go to at the doge’s palace. It was portentous. We changed into our best dresses. A green dress and weird shoes in my case. The assistants gave us fans and bottled water because of the heat. The singers of La Fenice sang. The musicians played portitive organ, crumhorns and lutes. It was, to be honest, one of the most incredible musical experiences and in one of the most maginifent rooms of the doge’s palace with no tourists except for a handful of overheated concertgoers, and at night. Unforgettable. Many thanks to the fabulous Ink, Sweat and Tears for publishing the poem.

Here are some pictures I took of the concert. It was marvellous to see the inside of the palace at night. The room was incredibly grand.