by Don Hall

I remember seeing a real Edward Hopper painting in person.  
After having seen reproductions on paper or in frames or in books, 
the actual paint on canvas in a gallery was mind blowing.  
The colors practically reached out and punched me in the face.  

Extraordinary.

Then there was the time I first heard Mahler's Fifth Symphony in Orchestra Hall.  
So much larger than on cassette tape.  
So much more expansive than on vinyl.  
The air was filled with so many vibrations,
I could feel it in my teeth.

Unbelievable.

I saw KLOWN: Prick Us und We'll Burst,
A dark, bloody, absurd theatrical take on clowning
Nine separate times I saw this (unheard of in the theater)
It single-handedly changed my perspective on comedy
It busted the conventions of what was possible.

Hysterical.

It is used to sell us car insurance and zit cream
And to manipulate us to see cops as heroes and black men as villains
It can reinforce or tear apart stereotypes 
And remind us of the Divine among the Mundane
Whether it inspires fear or lust, rage or awe

Art is as indispensable as air.