Unconstrained

Ever so subtle, the banjo begins

as the beat of the bass makes its mark,

the melody's captured now by mandolin

till the strings of the fiddle embark.

Clear and concise there’s a single voice heard

then others to bridge harmony...

clapping and tapping ensues, undeterred;

and the lyrics they share— poetry.

They build to crescendo, then slow to a whisper

and hit all the notes in between…

we conjure the places the music now takes us

the land and the people they’ve seen.

Their tone and inflection belying the depth

of the pain and the hardships they’ve known—

they’ve travelled this country, the length and the breadth

now we garner their seeds as they’re sown.

For they bring an escape for a moment or two,

    the music: a balm to our soul—

in the lyrics we’re gifted; transported and lifted

left healed to this feeling of  'whole.'

And always the music that carries us back...

  a reminder of who we should be:

kinder, more mindful, without animus

  no anger or need to appease.

We entered this place to escape from the rain

and in doing so, found a release:

the melodies shared have unlocked the constraints
and leave us encompassed in peace.

© Ginny Brannan 2017

On June 6th we went to hear one of my favorite genres of music, a mix of folk/bluegrass/country, played by The Steel Wheels, a wonderful and talented group of young musicians out of Virginia. There is thought and depth in the lyrics they share, perfectly arranged and impeccably played. There is something in the sounds of a banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass. In words that speak of home and things that touch our hearts and our lives. One of their songs was inspired by a man who learned that Federal land was to be auctioned off cheaply and under the radar. He went to the auction, did not know how to keep the land in trust, to keep it pristine for his daughter and new generations to enjoy. Ended up bidding, however foolish in knowing he could never pay. He got thrown in jail, but the incident brought light to something that would have been left unknown and ignored. These are stories of  hope and of love, of country, of family, of the beauty of this land. How can one not leave feeling uplifted and inspired!!