I breathed in the double bass
I was rocked to sleep by the deep melodic sounds of history.
Because that’s what we were
A historic voice
Seeping through the very veins that inspired me
Dancing on a string I crept towards an empty door
Hoping for
Longing for that deeper voice
How hollow a sound must sing to me?
How low a voice must whisper?
How deep a wound must melt
But skipping lightly to the sound of a childhood
I wept hard to the laughter of adolescence
And looked to the sky with joy
Smiles stretching from ear to ear
Or rather cheek to cheek
Searching for the best way to explain
It wasn’t all pain
My father tuned the knobs with precision
He twisted each one
He listened to each string
Tick tock tick tock
I was jealous of a piece of wood
Welded together over hundreds of years
Protect this he said
Handing over the keys
I tip toed inside
Take a knee back
I longed to kick in the very object that I couldn’t stand
The very object that made beautiful melodies
And sunsets worth of notes
The very sound that put me short of time
Stole away hours
Days
Evenings
I move closer
Running my hand over ancient grains
Turning inside
I feel myself wish
Why couldn’t you play me like this?
I would have been your greatest performance of all
Applause wept through my hands
Dripping on to the darkest of floors
As I softly shut the door
And head home.