I concentrate to play each note right

Pluck the base, strum the treble.

Focus on the beat, one-two-three-four.

Oh, but don’t forget the syncopation!

 

Then comes the arpeggio:

Fingers move so fast

they crash into each other!

 

And of course the words:

I must sing in tune

and remember the harmony.

 

Ahhh—I can’t hear the music for the notes!

 

I close my eyes and commune with the True Musician.

Practice, practice, practice.

 

One day I strum along fearlessly

feeling the verse rise and fall,

the chorus blossom.

The notes disappear

and I hear the music!

 

As I play,

crickets creak, birds chirp,

monkeys screech, lions roar

streams rush, waves crash, planets whoosh—

all present while seamlessly harmonizing

to sing as one.