The Civil Wars:
A TREE IS BEST MEASURED WHEN IT'S DOWN

 

Today is an important occasion.
She thinks that she must wear the right clothes.
The right combination of clothes
will make her lucky.
But there are specific kinds of luck
and different kinds are needed
for different occasions.

A blue dress for intuition.
A gray shirt and maroon slacks
for making strong statements.
A navy pullover
and a woolen skirt
for discovering mystery.
She thinks of what she wore
on a similar occasion
like the one she will be involved in today.
Particularly a similar occasion
that was successful for her.
She lies on the bed
and imagines herself in a variety of outfits.
She quickly narrows
the range of possibilities
she tries them on
in a few combinations.
A striped shirt
and corduroy slacks
a red dress.
She leaves the house
the out come
is certain.

 

Music for The Knee Plays
by Robert Wilson and David Byrne

from Robert Wilson's
The Civil Wars: A tree is best measured when it's down