Shadows Into Light

Ode to Clarinet Players

Thank you @KietaLily for the cover!

This poem was a Christmas gift to my very good friend.

To the beautiful players

of an emotional instrument

that moves people of all ages.

You watch them from afar,

wondering what are they doing.

You watch as they hold pencils,

moving fingers in different patterns.

You watch them tap their feet

and counting out numbers.

You watch them sings song,

but not in words, but with da's.

They become older,

entering into high school.

You watch their patterns change

from easy simple stuff to more complex.

They tap their feet with both the left and right.

You watch them earn calluses

on tips of fingers and the side of their right thumb.

They disappear during lunch

into a mysterious hall.

You see them dropping sheets of paper

with dots and lines on them.

You never see them after school anymore.

You never see them on Saturdays.

You only see them in the hall or on a field.

You wondered

what happened to them?

You are lonely,

missing their company.

You get frustrated,

they must of abandoned you.

You want to know what is going on.

It is now Friday,

a football game.

You sit in the stands alone,

wishing that they are here.

You watch the game going on,

1st down home team.

The clock winds down until halftime.

A group dressed in uniforms,

shuffle out of the stands.

They walk towards the field,

halftime.

You lean forward and notice

they all carry instruments.

Curiously, you get up from your seat

and walk to the railing.

A person in a different uniform walks up to a large tower.

They smile and wave to the crowd,

they turn around and face the group.

They started soft,

grew louder.

You watch wide eyed,

as they started to move.

In patterns and the music

flowed together like a long story.

You don't realize that you are tapping your feet.

You don't realize that you are humming along.

You just listen.

You are stunned.

You are intent.

You are in love.

With music.

The performance ended,

you stand there.

Completely still.

You don't hear the people around you.

You don't hear your friend approach you.

You just hear the music in your ears.

They come.

She comes.

She was breathless.

Sweat was forming around where

her uniform hat hugs her forehead.

She beams at you and

her eyes dancing with happiness.

"How was it?"

You are silent trying to form words

to describe what you saw.

You search for a good word

for that moment.

None comes, it was just....

"Amazing."

As soon as you said it,

you knew it didn't account for

what you saw.

But it was good enough for her.

She embraces you with a huge hug.

You missed that hug.

But now you knew it was here to stay.