Music

All music is relational Even if the instrument itself is unconscious: Like tree leaves in a breeze Telegraph their praise in God's presence, Dot and dash an earthy hymn; Like an earthquake whose rumblings Remind you that in geological time All that we think of as solid and whole Shares water's properties; Even mountains bend the knee; What was tight winds down, relaxes, Like a German music box, Becomes a cosmic "OM" at last; Only whales, those connoisseurs Of deep and low, perhaps can hear. Our human ears span such a narrow range, Need scientific augmentation to hear Last ringing reverberations of "Big Bang." For sound is not just vibrating air, Our eyes too have their limits As invisible stars also play their role And human senses discover new symphonies In the music of the spheres. For doesn't vision inflame the heart as well As guitarist strums and fingers dance on ivory? Have you never seen a string's exertions, Or felt invisible waves of tympani? Yes, even bowels play a role! And, oh, the stories told in sound alone Can find their poetry in dance, A music of another kind, A kinetic vision of the soul itself. Whatever touches heart is music, Cannot be missed, only denied, Oh, do not ask for whom God sings, He always sings your song. Long Tooth April 21, 2016