Leonard Cohen — On Rare Occasions

On rare occasions the power was given me to send waves of emotion through the world. These were impersonal events, over which I had no control. I climbed on the outdoor stage as the sun was going down behind the Tower of Toledo and the people did not let me go until the middle of the night. All of us, the musicians, the audience, were dissolved in gratitude. There was nothing but the starry darkness, the smell of fresh cut hay, and a hand of wind caressing every single forehead. I don't even remember the music. A wide unison whispering arose which I didn't understand. When I left the stage I asked the promoter what they were saying. He said they were chanting: to-re-ro, to-re-ro A young woman drove me back to the hotel, a flower of the race. All the windows were rolled down. It was a ride free from error. I could not feel the road or the pull of destination. We didn't speak and there was no question of her entering the lobby, or climbing to my room. Only recently I remembered that drive of long ago, and since then, I need to be weightless But I never am.