Dumb dark sucks glances / of silver and gold / from yet mute metal.
-- Speaker (Lines 4-6)

Importance: This line uses consonance and alliteration to create musicality. The first two lines use repeated Ds, Gs, Ks, and Ss, while the third uses alliteration and repeated hard consonants. Using creative imagery, the poem illustrates the play of light reflecting off dormant instruments and the silent (“dumb”) shadows throughout the crowd.

DEATH / IN A LIGHTNING STROKE
-- Speaker (Lines 13-14)

Importance: This line stands out because of its capitalization (used to communicate a sudden intensity), and stands as the poem’s turning point. It’s also the moment in which the more formal structure gives way to a more erratic free-verse shape. The “lightning stroke” represents the first note played by the musicians which brings the room to life. The way this line is presented reflects the controlled chaos of the room as it’s sliced into a before and after.

tumbling in...
-- Speaker (Lines 22-23)