When that happens,

the music,

lyrics take you somewhere,

not even words,

sounds, utterances, setups,

beauty and grace and elegance

all of these catch words,

memory,

when I was seventeen years old and I noticed her,

that lasting beauty a voice so pure

on a piece of vinyl, the radio, in a studio,

just the sheer magnificence of her body

emanating such powerful tones

simple and free

we could all lay back on our pillows

in our bedrooms,

smoke a … or perhaps not,

some people just liked the sound.

When it was all over,

we might recall where we were just minutes before

and all of those notions,

thoughts and contemplative realities

become secondary because she took us

somewhere else if not for a little while

perhaps a long while in our lives

we might reflect upon the power of sound

the beauty of her, sound, vulnerable

real and magnificent in just being that one

voice in the sky singing

‘The Great Gig in The Sky”