Karen among the Silly Sopranos
A gorgeousness was throbbing at the heart
Of girls there singing Christmas carols. They
Were wearing curlers, stupidly. One part
Pulsed utterly among their midst. “Give way,”
It urged the others, weak sopranos high
And thin above it like a tightrope stretched
Above that voice. Though lower, it could fly
Above them all, while cutting through them, etched
Above in paradox of beauty. She
Sliced through their plain 4/4-ness, all those
Excuses, slight. The serendipity
Of alto purity cut through their prose.
..She stood there in the center like a flame
….Of holiness beyond their homely shame.
~ Phillip Whidden