Solitary Composer

I am the bass line of Pachelbel's Canon -
the hum of solitude
shifting in broken chords
that cycle redundantly.
Each note held
in slight suspension,
escaping the irony
of its existence
fading in the background.
A desperate clutch
to each quarter of a beat:
liberating isolation.

But four-four time taunts the bass line
as melody bursts, blurring the background completely.
My audience is tone-deaf and blind:
Oblivious to the oblivion.

Still…
I live in a world of temporary pedals and fermatas
attempting to savor the sound
conscious of dominating duality.
I am content with my function,
needing not to burst with voice,
convinced that language is a broken melody
without a D.C. al coda.

There is no other way.
After all,
I am a solitary composer.

And I don't even need a piano.

2010