Of all the words that have fallen past my ear
From the turtle’s sudden whispers,
To the brush of the dove’s soft wing
Of all the sounds from roosters crowing
To 4-H taps at night
From the whip-or-will to the bob white and 
And in the evening by the clothes line
The hoot owl calling. 

Never doubt it was sound that was what made my head first turn
That made my heart first break
That made my first laugh ripple out into the universe—

There are sounds that can change
A dreary day into a dream-come-true.
Music to save a soul, (just so you don’t forget to reach out and push a button);
Songs written in the clouds, in the sunsets, in the warm rays of the afternoon sun 
Out at the clothesline—

Of all the sounds
Never let it be said there weren’t enough words
To make you want to live again
Never let it be said there was not enough Love expressed.
One lesson is that you have to
Ask that question,
Look for those answers
And seek out the peace within yourself
That you can find
On every park bench, in every empty sanctuary, in every open field. 

Experience and live.
Listen and remember. 
And hope and dream it all back around again
To where your life has meaning and your soul is yours.
Follow the sounds and the inspiration. 
Believe in yourself and your ability to 
Take second chances and make new choices
Based on new realizations
And on admitting you were wrong.

It is all worth another step. A fresh step 
Out to what you can believe in
To what you can hear;
To what you can know just has to be true
Somewhere.

Nothing less will do.
Nothing less than letting go of everything
If that is what it takes to be true to yourself. 
And hear your own heart beat 
And hear your own breath breathe
And hear your own song being played in the world by you. 

And as the lives wind down around you 
As you watch the old age come creeping in
It is the sounds you have to keep humming
And hearing—
The nature sounds
The sounds of soft voices 
The sounds of laughter
The sounds of beautiful music—or just 
Music that you like,
Who cares?
Let your heart be the judge
 
Don’t let the coldness of judgmental voices 
Discourage you from your best. 
Keep your smile
And keep your ear
Listening for the best of things and 
Keep your voice and your soul 
Making those high notes tremble 
And those low notes rumble 
And all the notes in between just singing on 
Endlessly happy.

Listen for the rain behind the car wheels
And the floor creak with cooling
And listen for a pet nearby, breathing
Or a friend sharing a day with you
Listen to the end for all that is the best of your life gone by 
Playing out in wind-down now
Playing out in peace.

© 2004 Mary Joanne Douglas Nelson. All Rights Reserved.