many times before

last night I went to hear Don Delillo read -
the Prologue from Underworld
felt like he'd read those same words many times before
to a room full of people
much like those assembled last night

Dick, my back fence neighbor,
Rebecca, the poet, I taught in sixth grade
who begins at Mount Holyoke in a few weeks
Geoff Ripps, a father of an old friend of Laura's,
and a man of words
my government professor who I used to run into at Austin High

Jessen Auditorium filled with readers, who anticipated
a young man's leap over a turnstile
and waited patiently for the batter to connect his bat and the ball
to win the game
listened as he answered three questions from the audience
following the reading
questions he'd probably answered many times before

and I left last night
reminded of the night I saw Carlos Santana at Merriweather Post Pavilion
many years before
great show - feels like he's played those songs many times before
easy, elastic and familiar