Bruch & Mendelssohn (II)


After 16 km of roller skiing along Gunnarsbyvägen
between the snowbanks on March 22,
and the ensuing warm shower,
climbing like a benevolent spirit across the skin
in the endorphin’s quiet bliss
that drowns out the background noise of the universe
with its subcutaneous silence,
I can endure
the knowledge of the absolute truth of pallid death,

and when Felix Mendelssohn & Max Bruch then lift the roof
of all the years since I was 19 with their violin concertos,
which delivered me from evil
down at Jära folk high school near Malmbäck in Småland in 1968,
even life itself can feel bearable




Poetry by Ingvar Loco Nordin The PoetBay support member heart!
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Written on 2026-03-22 at 18:44

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melanie sue The PoetBay support member heart!
It's easy, as well as lazy, just to say " I love this".
But I do. It's very relatable for me despite the fact we are worlds apart. You provide exquisite descriptions that almost places me in your skiis in that awesome, exhilarating moment. It's a talent many lack in their writing.
And many might say "Life is for Living"....and that's true, but for me, "Life is for Learning". The other good thing about your writing, or at least in this poem, is that it provokes the interested but naive reader to learn more about your world and places you know but they don't. I have always been curious about this place, this earth.
I often research people and places of things I have little or no knowledge or experience. I did learn to snowski a little bit, but it wasn't and has never been the experience and skill of your level. But the feeling it evokes in one-- I definitely know. Besides the snow, [well, it's how I perceived "roller ski"] , I researched the names of people and places not familiar to me. I had heard of those musicians but had forgotten the connection. Learning about these masters of the fiddle and the references to the church.With additional knowledge, I reread your poem with a better understanding of what you truly were conveying instead of my own "interpretation". I appreciate it all that much more.

Not to change the subject besides skiing, I have recently chosen Hockey as my sport of preference.
Thank you for this-
a very enjoyable read.
2026-03-22