The Where Of Power Within

Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 5, Op. 50

We can’t see where the symphony 

is going, so grab on.

Dolce, tranquillo, cantabile,

allegro, adagio, and presto

are like pointers for the listener:

Follow us into these

rebellious melodies,

strange forms,

a persistent snare,

two fugues,

and scramble with us 

through this rugged universe.

We are the fist

between good and evil,

saints and sinners,

dreams and deeds,

silence and chaos,

panic and serenity,

to fight the good fight 

for hearts and souls,

transcending all conventions,

breaking boundaries into the unknown,

pushing against everything dark,

supporting everything good,

emerging triumphant.

At the end, a deep breath,

a swelling heart, a validation of beauty.

That is the what of the symphony.

When I listen to this symphony,

where I am is unknown.

From: A Preface To The Universe:

Women, Getting Older, and Other Mysteries

Unpub. MS p. 12