• Do

    You came out of the darkness.
    Out of the darkness came light.
    Out of the light came sound

    You, born from the darkness
    Met sound, born from the light.
    That sound came through your lips
    Into the air.

    “Do”.

    I am born.

    As Do, I have been the center of it all.
    I have danced with the beats of your sheepskin drums
    I have swam with the songs of the humpback whales.

    As Do, I have seen it all.
    I have seen Mozart climb up to the piano
    Test out one note.
    Fa.
    Test out two notes.
    Re. Si.
    Test out me.
    Do.

    I have seen Beethoven struggle with me
    His pen flying across the paper.
    I tried a few times to whisper a tip or two in his ear
    But he could never hear me.

    As Do, I have been sung by all.
    I have been sung by young mothers
    Stringing me together with Fa, So, Si, and La
    Making a simple but powerful lullaby
    To calm a storm.

    I have been sung by a girl with dreams
    A girl who now finds herself singing in a smoky bar
    Scraping enough money to feed her baby.
    It’s the only money they have.

    As Do, I have been written of.
    I have appeared in your books and novels
    Your plays and prose
    Your poems, like this one,
    Whether or not you use my name.

    The Walrus and the Carpenter.
    I am a part of that strange song sung to Alice
    So I am written about
    Though my name is not mentioned.

    The raven sings a song as well, you know.
    Is it not a bird?
    When Edgar Allen Poe wrote about the raven and its song
    He wrote about me
    Though my name is not mentioned.

    The flutes that the fawns play
    In your silly little mythology.
    They played me on their pipes.
    The myths are about me
    Though my name is not mentioned.

    I am everywhere.

    If I were to suddenly leave
    What would happen?

    Maybe you would die.

    If I were to suddenly leave
    What would happen?

    Maybe I would die.

    We all die without music.

    Music dies without us.
    Someone must play it
    Sing it
    Struggle with it
    Write about it
    Love it
    Hate it
    Change it
    Fulfill it.

    If there is nobody to do that
    The music will die.
    I will die
    Do will be no more.

    If Do dies
    And the music dies
    Then you will die as well.

    Do.
    Re.
    Mi.
    Fa.
    So.
    La.
    Si.

    Music.

    You.

    We cannot live without each other
    So let us live together
    As we have been since the darkness
    Since you
    Since the light
    Since me
    Since the beginning.