we each
have been
trying to teach
ourselves
to play
to tune
harmonize

on the last day
of elementary
school
we three
mark your passage
with music

ukulele
harmonica
guitar
mother
son
stepfather

no one knows
how
but we try
different rhythms
random chords
creating
a cacophony of chaos

still
despite the dissonance
each one of us
plays on
listening
seeking
tuning in
to find some song

four years
we’ve danced
as family
banded together
testing tempos
learning grace

tonight
there is a moment

celebratory brownie crumbs
abandoned on the plate
your one hundred pound frame
ukulele riffing
a man’s eyes
glistening
above the glint
of moving metal
my own fingers strumming
head nodding
yes
towards you

don’t stop
forget right
just listen
and play

this
is making music