Annette Lin, class of 2025
for m. s.
I’d only ever heard of him from your stories.
When I found out (third-hand knowledge, months late
and just as raw) I grieved; played some Mozart, tripped
through some Liszt; I listened to Lazar Berman’s
Années de Pèlerinage all the way through. You told me
about his recording of the K. 284 sonata, how he
approached its variations: at first devoutly classical,
but romantic and unrestrained during the repeat.
You called him an inspiration and I wondered if you knew
you were the same. I just read your colleague’s tribute,
turning over every word as if knowing him would be
like knowing you. When you’re ninety-four and dying,
though, I imagine you won’t want to talk. I’ll set my
apple strudel on your doorstep for your children to find
and wonder why the dogs are silent, forgetting that
they’d be gone, too. I’ll imagine that you’re thinking
of him and that it comforts you. I’ll waltz down
that same hill I’ve scaled for years, where the traffic
will sing “Sonetto 104 del Petrarca” if there’s no one
home to play it for you. Maybe I’ll love Berman then.
It’ll be just as you said: the wisdom to love comes from
experience, not imagination. And now I’m brushing
crumbs of strudel off the table and licking stray flakes
of pastry from my lower lip. I hope the dogs are well.
I hope they stay for a long time.
Few things are deathless, but this does not keep them from being limitless. I am a living extension of a meaningful life whose effects have resonated beyond the boundaries of mortality. Though those we love do not stay with us forever, the flames they light within us make them limitless. As Joesph Fasano wrote: "we are made of those / who save us. / Every day / you'll face a greater question. / They live again each time you get it right." Through Années de Pèlerinage, I hope to pay tribute to a beloved mentor. I wish you limitlessness, m. s.
hi there! i'm annette, the president of twd from 2023-2025. i write and make art on instagram @annette.jpxg. other times, i frolic in museums, libraries, and concert halls (always on a student discount). thank you for reading the magazine!
This piece recieved a Gold Key at the 2023 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.