Enough Music

Cressida Campbell

Enough Music

Sometimes, when we're on a long drive,

and we've talked enough and listened

to enough music and stopped twice,

once to eat, once to see the view,

we fall into this rhythm of silence.

It swings back and forth between us

like a rope over a lake.

Maybe it's what we don't say

that saves us.

Dorianne Laux

“Maybe it’s what we don’t say...” That strikes a chord. How many times have you held your tongue for just that one second, have you thought – maybe I’ll wait a minute, maybe I have too much to lose here. Maybe I’ll keep this to myself. 

Having just finished a long drive, I've also had enough music. "A rhythm of silence." A rhythm of silence. I'd never thought about it that way before.

open your heart

Esa Riippa

open your heart:

i'll give you a treasure

of tiniest world

a piece of forever with

summitless younger than

angels are mountains

rivery forests

towerful towns(queen

poet king float

sprout heroes of moonstar

flutter to and

swim blossoms of person)through

musical shadows while hunted

by daemons

seethe luminous

leopards(on wingfeet of thingfear)

come ships go

snowily sailing

perfect silence.

Absolute ocean

e.e. cummings

It's hard to say anything after that. Cummings is such a genius of expansion. This poem encompasses – well, the world – and forever. All the biggest things. And the way he goes so big and wild in such a small number of words it's the perfect reflection of what he intends to say – everything can be within a tiny thing. There are largenesses within infinitesimals. We have such heights to go to! We have such superlatives to experience. If, and this is the beautiful kicker, if we can open our hearts. Open our hearts -!?? What? How? Oh he does that – he did it in "Little Birds" too – do this with your heart, do that. Not easy, E.E.



Well, if you're going to offer the biggest things, it seems only right that you ask for the hardest things.But my goodness, that “Absolute ocean”, that's superb.