#marchingband
The soft winds of a fall night
Whisper hope to me
The wind gently dances
With the feathers of my plume
It will be alright
Said the wind
You will have a good performance.
Set!
I am at attention
My head is up at the sunset
My tall posture meets heaven
I am the guardian
Of dusks arrival,
And all of fall
Fades into my show's
Theme of spring.
I step on beat
Cherry blossoms fall
Beside my feet
The sky fades into blue and pink
In the distance stands a mountainous prop
Oh mount Fuji she stands!
What a pretty sight
For the judges
To see on a competitive night.
My heart ascends to hope
I fly up and over
The peak of mount Fuji
The kids of the night
Play her song
We all ascend into the stars.
Jan 27, 2025
Jan 27, 2025 at 8:59 PM UTC
Dear Bass Clarinet,
I have no partner
To show affection for,
But deep in my core
I know
For sure
Love comes from the music
Our soul makes,
And that's is what
A bass clarinet is for.
Embrace me into every sharp
Like angels playing harp
My lips are kissed by the reed
And every note articulated
Leaves me in need.
Oh Bass Clarinet
I don't need a boy
To feel the joy
Your sound is enough
To make me feel loved.
Jan 25, 2025
Jan 25, 2025 at 6:20 PM UTC
No uniforms.
No white plumes and capes on Senior Night.
No fitting 30 people on one row of bleachers.
No hugging after the run of the halftime show.
No slapping each other's heads during.
"Good Luck, Don't ****
No linking arms and singing as a section for the rituals before the show.
No competitions.
This is what COVID has taken away
from my high school marching band.
But.
We STILL play.
We STILL march.
We STILL laugh.
We STILL say "Good Luck, Don't **** and "slap" each other...
but from a distance.
We STILL do our chants and sing our songs in 6-feet apart circles.
We STILL have fun.
COVID has taken many fun things away
from my senior year in marching band.
But even with social distancing,
marching band is still family.
Sep 10, 2020
Sep 10, 2020 at 10:44 PM UTC
I went back to marching band today
I want to quit
I won't let myself though
It's my senior year
And my school year is already getting **** on
I won't lose the one thing I love
About going to school
Jul 29, 2020
Jul 29, 2020 at 9:43 PM UTC
Stinky, crowded, sweltering
Dedication
Laughing uproariously
Bouncing up with every Michigan pothole
Falling down into the laps of our friends
Riding to yet another competition
Frantically checking to see if we have gloves and gauntlets
The band bus
Feb 16, 2019
Feb 16, 2019 at 10:00 AM UTC
When I hear the words “marching band”,
I think of 4 am’s eating donuts on the bus,
Piled in big heaps to conserve warmth,
Not caring who we were laying on.
I think of lips on fire,
Sectionals that drag on and on in
The scorching sun, and staying
At attention for longer than you can bear.
I think of impossibly quick changes into uniforms,
Asking your friends to zip you up,
Band moms wiping off bibbers and shoes,
And when you’re all ready, realizing you didn’t put on your mic.
I think of falling on turf during
25 mph wind gusts, hearing the hail smash your instrument,
Not being able to feel your face,
But knowing you have to play on just the same.
I think of eating at weird times,
Breakfast at 4 am, lunch at 10 am, and supper at 10 pm,
But knowing that when you get you get a chance to eat,
The band dads have got you covered.
I think of laughing so hard on the bus
You’re crying, sobbing even, sprawled across
Your best friends, and you think you’ll never calm down
Enough to ever play your instrument again.
I think of the drum majors’ voices yelling
LEFT LEFT LEFT
Over and over again until the freshmen finally understand.
There’s always that one that never does.
I think of the moment of utter agony
Before they announce the last place in your class,
And you’re squeezing your eyes shut, praying
That at the very least, you won’t be last.
I think of that moment of utter relief
After you hear the last place in your class,
And it’s not you, and your prayers have been answered
That at the very least, you were not last.
I think of the last competition of the season,
When the seniors are bawling and it seems like
Your entire world is crashing down,
And nothing will ever be right again.
This poem could go on forever,
But finally: finally.
When I hear the words “marching band”,
I think of that triumphant moment right
As your show ends for the last time,
That last horns down,
And you know you’ve given it your all,
And no matter what your score is,
You feel in your heart that you have put everything
You have out there,
All the music, the drill, the blood, sweat and tears,
Out there on that football field.
And that moment, you can get no where else, but
Marching band.
Oct 26, 2018
Oct 26, 2018 at 5:42 PM UTC
Please tell everyone your name, grade,
And what instrument you play.
We’re just going to go over some basics.
You can have a break in ten minutes.
Band, ten, HUT!
HUT!
Come to set!
Attention!
I said come to set!
Heels together, toes apart.
Check your posture!
Guide to your left!
No, your other left!
Your steps are too big.
No, now your steps are too small.
You have to stay at set for three minutes;
If anyone moves, we start again.
Restart the time!
Restart again!
Get your feet in time, freshmen!
Section leaders, I need to see you. Now.
Your water break is still ten minutes away.
Drum majors, go get more batteries for the met.
First competition guys, good luck!
I don’t care if it’s late, we need to learn the drill.
Someone go run and turn on the field lights!
You’ll thank me later.
First football game, good luck!
Drumline, did I say you could put your instruments down?
Trumpets, get your horns up! To the press box!
You’ll get it, don’t give up!
Last competition guys, congrats!
Give it your all and don’t look back!
Guard, don’t **** anybody with your flags.
GUARD!
Last football game, congrats!
Somebody please let the bass drums through!
Everybody give me your plumes!
Do NOT set your uniform on the ground!
I expect all of you back next year.
Thank you for giving me your best.
I apologize for when I was at my worst.
I love you guys.
Jul 23, 2018
Jul 23, 2018 at 3:22 PM UTC
Appreciation is showed for the marching band by how many horns are honked while cars drive by on the nearby road
Or almost stepping on small baby Toads on the walk to your car
In the middle of the night
Sleep deprived
It's okay, we wouldn't want it any other way
Oct 9, 2015
Oct 9, 2015 at 10:01 PM UTC
My sanity flies out the open window
My courage spills out of me
To dissipate under the seats
Music my true hope
Bus' full of people who care
No one cares where you're from
No one cares of your past
All that matters is that you're there
Wake up before the dawn
Crowd on to the yellow sardine can
Find that one you want to sleep on
More hours than you care to count
Crushed spaces
With old crushes
Realizations of truths
You love them all and they love you
Hard work in the sun's heat
First time of many
You mess up completely
Even though
Applause surrounds you
And all of you feel invincible
Drama can't **** the happiness
You walk away
Find others to accept you
Three is better than one
More work but it's fun
Now watching you see things
Things that amaze
You learn so much
The heat goes out
Now you are freezing
There is a smile frozen on your face though
Smushed between great people
Watching through new eyes
You're nervous now
Going up with the other two
You stand tall and prepare
How unprepared you were
So much acceleration runs through you
Shoulder to shoulder
You place
You knew this
He accepts and you salute
Later you are ambushed
You feel such a sense of belonging
You all swarm out
Back to the buses you go
Changing in front of them all
You don't care
Neither do they
You once again find the one to sleep on
Oct 28, 2014
Oct 28, 2014 at 11:29 PM UTC