Duet in Blue

 

     Not a small voice but, a big voice,

a very big voice that was hers she wanted heard,

     but 'it,' could not allow,

     would not allow at any cost,

 

     she would steal the show she said,

‘I will steal this show and have everybody sing!’

 

     That was her quest, that, was her secret goal

as 'it' stood in back streets, bus stops, bars and clubs,

     shopping malls, parks and even,

          under the stairs, all to stop her song.

 

     everywhere she tried to let the wind

of birds harness her soprano of life,

     was everywhere 'it' stood, tutting,

waggling fingers and shaking head as if,

     as if against all cosmic law and lore,

          to have sweet melodies of life ‘beacon’ every day.

 

     She would run, and run, sprint to meadows caressing daisy and buttercup

and lift her voice, but out of a cloud would come a dark window,

     an arm with waggling finger yet again,

 

     The day came she asked of a grey sky,

‘why cannot I hear the Nightingale no more and why,

     can I not be such song to lift all seasons here to warmth?’

 

     The sky returned in silent grey continuum as if,

‘no such acknowledgement should ever be awarded here.’

 

     Her song began to lose her wish,

her song began to ‘think’ in mumbled tones,

     her song was almost gone upon another day of grey and then,

 

     she saw upon her open door of opportunity,

a boy of same in sorrow, sat upon her meadow,

his head upon his hands.

 

     She took a little honey, some butter then and bread,

     took a flask of Ceylon and a fruited offering of pear,

made it to the vacant seat upon her empty meadow,

     where a boy had sat in earnest looking sad upon the floor,

 

2.

 

     ‘why are you here upon your elbows,

why are you here upon a posture angled to the ground??’

 

     The boy upon the honey said in tearful tones of clown,

‘all this space for singing but my altos forced and buried underground,

     all this space for lightening the sky but, only weather here for frown,

          all this time to grieve and yet,

               it worsens every day,

                    making sure no ascend is heard,

                         as if in preparation for a hearse.’

 

     As it is with you, is as it is with me she said.

          {and there upon his gaze a bee upon a flower}.

               ‘this space can be tiring to venture every flower,

                     it is a good job I like to fly,' – whispered to their heart.

 

Let us try a song together she said, and both began to hum,

     but the window there again came down from all the grey

          and waggled yet again a finger of denial.

 

     Then let us sing in unity and make the very best of space,

          said the boy in stranger smiles, brighter still, his eyes.

 

     He ran a hundred yards, and bowed before his queen – began a song

of unity that spanned a billion years,

 

“The higher you build your barriers,”

 

the window came again only,

     a reply did come in earnest, before a waggled finger of conceit,

 

     “The taller I become” the girl sang,

 

     the window snarled as if,

           a threat was bargaining the power but had to make a dash to                 

                the other end of universe

                     to stop a growing choir,

 

the boy then – “the further you take my rights away,”

 

the girl too – “the faster I will run,”

 

     boy – “you can deny me, you can decide, to turn your face away,”

 

     girl – “no matter cause there’s,”

 

     the window raged and raged, the colours of a darkened grey as snarling could be heard,

back and forth between a two of harmonies angelic there did sing,

     yet still a cloud as dark as ancient evil persists a volume of denial,

          but as each and every word came from harps that one could never tame,

               the window of a crooked hate cracked upon its spiel,

 

     then both there in unity as the window knew not where to turn,

a billion miles apart but there a freedom call ‘togetherness’ as the Nightingale returned,

     Both upon the chords of Gods the window broke upon the floor,

          and there a little demon whimpering - losing all control,

               Up and down the shoulders went as tears forever shed,

                    for every one it’d silenced, everyone it’d hurt.

 

     Both in song and gathering heart a strength upon this World,

“Something inside so strong,

     I know that I can make it,

          though you’re doing me wrong so wrong -

               you thought that my pride had gone,

                    oh no, something inside so strong,

                         oh, something inside so strong.”

 

     there -

          an arc upon a different day had nothing vacant in-between,

               no governors of hatred denying everybody sing,

                    none of those of power – robbing what they did not own,

                         none of walls to segregate and none of barbaric wire,

                              only a tapestry of chords and melodies that turned a grey,

                                                                                                                      to blue.

 

………. upon a sunset meadow with honey still upon the lips,

a man, a woman forever dared………..

……’the beautiful of kiss.’

 

 

“The more you refuse to hear my voice
The louder I will sing
You hide behind walls of Jericho
Your lies will come tumbling
Deny my place in time
You squander wealth that's mine
My light will shine so brightly
It will blind you, 'cause there's

Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Though you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh, something inside so strong

Brothers and sisters
When they insist we're just not good enough
When we know better
Just look 'em in the eyes and say
"We're gonna do it anyway"
We're gonna do it anyway

Something inside so strong
And I know that I can make it
Though you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh, something inside so strong

Brothers and sisters
When they insist we're just not good enough
When we know better
Just look 'em in the eyes and say
"We're gonna do it anyway"
We're gonna do it anyway
We're gonna do it anyway
We're gonna do it anyway

Because there's something inside so strong (something inside so strong)
I know that I can make it (I can make it)
Though you're doing me, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no (oh no), something inside so strong

Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it (make it, make it)
Though you're doing me, so wrong (doing me wrong)
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no (oh no), something inside so strong
Oh, something inside so strong
Oh, something inside so strong
Ooh-ooh, something inside so strong.”

 

Michael J Waite 22nd October 2022 for all denied freedoms by a callous hate.

Song is by Labi Sifre – Something Inside So Strong