In the Chorale

Standing here among these singers,

Friends, neighbors, believers,

We only hear those around us

Two altos to the right

And on our left, another tenor and a single bass.

We cannot hear the notes and music

From our vantage on the top row

But must trust our eyes more than ears

To follow the director’s quick bird-like motions

Paired with swan smooth gliding of palm and arm,

And we must trust our companion singers

And peerless orchestra

Gathered in from daily life

To create with us from common breath and

Daily living this music, this sound, this

Magic bigger than any and all of us,

Sung for an audience invisible beyond

The bright hot lights.

We would not know they are there

Sitting in inky darkness,

Silent until their own fluttering hands

Betray them, and we think,

There are living, breathing people out there

And they like us, they really

Like us.

And so, this is our letter,

A love letter really,

To those around us,

To those ranged in rows

Before us,

Taking in conductor, orchestra,

And largely anonymous

Faces in the darkened house.

We sing this music and these words

For you and for ourselves

For those present, those gone on

And those yet to come.

This is our love letter to you and to

The great ephemeral universe:

We love all of you.

 

Dan Verner

March 21, 2016