listening

    1
    1050

    I’m watching midnight come and go
    the same way I do most nights,
    sitting at the keyboard with a glass
    of wine wondering what to write
    and listening to some old friend
    sing me into the solitude that
    sows some sort of word play.

    some nights I know the very song
    I want to hear, but then some
    send me searching for just the right mix
    of moment and memory that
    lets the words start wandering
    into shape and sequence singing
    in harmony, I suppose

    because though the house is quiet
    and I am the only one awake
    I rarely think of myself writing
    alone; I am panning for words
    on the banks with anyone
    who would find simple words and
    polish them into brilliance

    by listening and learning from
    those who have panned and penned
    already, because they show how to
    line up words in ways that break
    open hearts in ten words or less:
    I was taken by a photograph of you
    how did you do that, Jackson?

    Peace,
    Milton

    *the lyric is from “Fountain of Sorrow” by Jackson Browne.

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