.

 

The Death of the Old Met

1883-1967

Unsinging silence fills the empty space
Where once the divas aria-ed and trilled
Puccini’s La Bohème before the face
Of audiences eager to be thrilled.

And music critics filled the mezzanine
And wrote reviews for papers long since dead.
Where now the echoes of “what once had been”
Before the swinging wrecking ball have fled.

The ghosts of Pons, Caruso, Melchior,
Tebaldi, Toscanini, swept aside.
Aida, Tosca, and di Lammermoor
Once staged upon a stage that now has died.

For four-score years and four she made her stand;
A place Grand Opera was truly grand.

.

.

Small-Town Walkabout

The sidewalk looked like new, its surface rough
But not too rough, and smooth but not too slick.
Just simple concrete, straight and true enough
Beside an age-worn Main Street paved in brick.

The small expansion lines weren’t even cracked,
Unbroken by the roots of tree and hedge.
The guttered curb was equally intact,
Unchipped and smooth along its pristine edge.

I paused at First and Main, the light was red,
And noticed something written by my feet.
“March 2nd, Nineteen Thirty-Eight,” it said.
The day, no doubt, the sidewalk was complete.

So old! Yet looking better than it should.
I only wish that I still looked as good.

.

.

Am I the Only One

Am I the only one who’s felt the pain
Of throwing out a well-loved pair of shoes?
“I’m sorry, sir. The uppers won’t sustain
Another stitch,” the cobbler broke the news,

Back in the day when shoes were better made,
The shoeshine stands made polishing their goal.
And though a well-buffed shine would scuff and fade
The only part that wore out was the sole.

While cutting hair required a barber’s shears,
Resoling was the cobblers’ daily chore.
My Florsheims served me well for many years
Three times they were resoled and then, no more.

The shoeshine stands and cobblers now are gone;
Once-honored trades extinguished with a yawn.

.

.

James A. Tweedie is a retired pastor living in Long Beach, Washington. He has written and published six novels, one collection of short stories, and four collections of poetry including Sidekicks, Mostly Sonnets, and Laughing Matters, all with Dunecrest Press. His poems have been published nationally and internationally in both print and online media. He was honored with being chosen as the winner of the 2021 SCP International Poetry Competition.

NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets.

The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.


Trending now:

19 Responses

  1. T. M.

    James: Three beautifully crafted and delightful sonnets, the last two especially. Made me laugh: “Am I the only one…”

    Reply
  2. Brian A. Yapko

    These are greatly enjoyable poems of nostalgia, James. Reminders of simpler, more elegant times. Your “Walkabout” poem gave me a warm Norman Rockwell feeling while your “Old Met” poem gave me joy in remembering the greats of Opera and some of their most memorable performances. I recently saw an old biopic in which Mario Lanza played Caruso. And who here remembers Lily Pons? Every so often I enjoy watching some older opera and classical music videos on the Classic Arts Showcase. Toscanini at the Hollywood Bowl — that sort of thing. You’ve triggered some wonderful memories and wishful time travel. Thank you for that.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      While old recordings do not do justice to the more subtle tones and tenors of the voices of the past, they also fail to represent their unique power to fill a vast, Cabernets space like the Old Met. Even so, it is fun to listen to and old Caruso recording and imagine . . .

      Reply
  3. Julian D. Woodruff

    Singing the old Met–who’d have guessed
    That one would give it honor due
    In verse today?
    But opera fans should be impressed:
    Your aria, James, is right on cue.

    I love the air of regret here. What the old Met represented is truly of the past: along with the house and those many great performers, repertoire has faded away. La Wally and La Gioconda are no longer standard, but lucky to see an occasional revival. Lucia, which you mention, and even such as Faust and Fanciula del West seem to be headed in the same direction.
    The other 2 sonnets are the equals of the 1st. A great trio.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      Ty, Julian. I have sung in the chorus of productions of La Boheme and La Traviata along with lighter fare such as The Gondoliers and the role of Boatswain in Pinafore. Those experiences forged both an interest and an appreciation for the genre. The amount of artistic skill and craft involved in both major and minor production is impressive to the point of mind-boggling.

      Reply
  4. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Three fond memories of our nostalgic past worth remembering and contemplating in a world run amuck. The Met, the small-town sidewalk and shoes brought back my own memories of the past and warmed my heart.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      Sorry to hear your heart needed to be warmed up, Roy! lol But I’m glad my efforts have contributed to your good health! Thanks for your affirming comment.

      Reply
  5. Joseph S. Salemi

    The old Metropolitan Opera House at 1411 Broadway had superb acoustics. The same cannot be said for the new building at Lincoln Center.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      Having never experienced the Old Met, I can only say that I enjoyed my one visit to the “New” one at Lincoln Center. The exterior and surrounding location is certainly an improvement over the photos I have seen of the Old, but the inside, not its equal. As for acoustics, I can only say that from my cheap nose-bleed seats (where a telescope would be preferred over opera glasses) I was able to hear (if not actually see) the beauty of Carmen surprisingly well.

      Reply
      • Joseph S. Salemi

        Actually, acoustics are much better in those high-up seats at the Met in Lincoln Center. This was also a major problem at Geffen Hall, where the Philharmonic performs. After many years of audience and performer complaints, followed by endless remodeling and changing, the situation there is much improved. They had to bring in a Canadian team to fix the problem.

        All of this comes from giving architects carte blanche to design and build, while spending not an atom of thought on acoustics.

  6. Jeff Eardley

    Jim, thank you for a most entertaining trio today. “The death of the Old Met” is so sad to read. We are losing live venues over here by the shedload but we thank goodness for our spa town of Buxton and its wonderful Opera House. The other two are superb observational pieces on that old World that is slowly slipping away. Thank you for a great pre-election read on this gloomy Sunday over here.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      Nostalgia is a wonderful thing to have, especially when there are a few tangible remnants of the past to remind us of what once was.

      Reply
  7. Margaret Coats

    James, if it were only to see this grand photo of the Old Met from the stage, your poem has worked its nostalgic magic. I’m more touched, though, by the departed shoeshine stands and cobblers. Women’s shoes have never been as sturdily made as men’s, but whenever I had a new pair during graduate school years,, I took them to Felix in a sidestreet basement shop to get taps for protecting the easily worn-down heels. He would half-sole the front when necessary. And when I found shoes exactly the ivory shade of my wedding gown, he cut down the high heels and made them a perfectly comfortable height. Alas, the craftsmanship!

    Reply
  8. James A. Tweedie

    Virtually all shoes today are throwaways as are most small appliances and electrical devices. With ab exception for computers, repair shops have also disappeared since it now costs less to buy a new thing than to repair an old one.

    Reply
  9. Paul A. Freeman

    A terrific trio of sonnets, James.

    That first line of The Death of the Old Met really set the scene with some unique imagery.

    In ‘Am I the Only One’, I sympathise, indeed. I actually have a pair of sandals I wear every day, sometimes walking a great distance, for the past ten years. Similarly made sandals before that barely lasted a few months.

    Thanks for the reads.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      Paul, I had a pair of flip-flops like that when I lived in Hawaii. Lasted for over five years. I never found another pair that matched it. Even the same identical style from the same company. Hang on to yours. Sounds like they’re a keeper!

      Reply
  10. Cheryl Corey

    Your poem about well-worn shoes took me back to my early working days when I wore a lot of heels. I saved money by taking them to the local cobbler. He fixed the heels and polished the shoes up nicely. It was great too, when shoes once had wooden heels, as opposed to the cheap soles now made of rubber.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      Ah, yes. That’s what these three poems are all about, the “good old days.” Such as they were!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.