Coming out of the museum, he realized with alarm that some unnamed critical faculty had somehow deserted him. He had seen several sculptural busts, spanning centuries, produced by markedly different cultures: Head of a Warrior, Head of Buddha, Severed Trophy Head. They had all seemed exactly the same to him.

He wondered if he could any longer discern the difference between a Palestrina Kyrie and the barking of dogs.

He wondered if he ever could.

6/29/21