Burnt Ends Blog: Out-Ringing War.
As violence and war are everyday realities for the people of Iran, I was moved by one
acknowledgement of this tragic fact weeks before President Trump declared war on Iran. I was
in San Antonio at the gorgeous Majestic Theater attending one of the last concerts of the annual
Musical Bridges Around the World’s UNITY Music Festival. After one elegant speech illustrating
the motivation for the festival and the importance of experiencing diverse cultures, a gentleman
spoke in Farsi about the crafting of the cultural instruments about to be played. When the two
musicians humbly took the stage, Erdal Erzincan and Kayhan Kalhor, in a gentle soft-spoken
voice Mr. Kalhor powerful dedicated the performance to ‘the beautiful and resilient people of
Iran.’ Then these two powerhouse string musicians calmly commanded over an hour and a half
of a non-stop improvised composition, which likely contained melodies from Persian heritage…
Weeks later when I was alerted by news of war in Iran I thought back to that meaningful
concert. The following poem is both my artistic expression of appreciation for the simply
profound musicality I witnessed and my hope in the motivation for the annual UNITY Music
Festival. That being in short; sharing culture through music has the potential to build bridges of
peace. My prayer is that the vibrations of the lyrics of love be heard long after the last bullet is
shot.
‘Out-Ringing’
Mesmerizing
Captivating, Hypnotic notes.
One is transfixed by
Two
Instruments improvising,
Coalescing in conversation.
Music bridges reconciliation.
Music stops time, tones’
Vibrations Eternal.
Out-Ringing; Rage, Resentment, even revered Revenue,
Is the tantalizing, tornado of a tandem,
Resounding and Resonating,
In each trembling clay cracked vessel
In the venue.
A Hymn Flows In,
Like honey oozes off the spoon,
Invading each vessel
With the winds, spirits
Of vibration
Exuding as crescendo-ing as
The intensity of oscillation increases
The notes of Joy, Love, Peace percolate
Harmonizing into a Melody.
The lyrics now on the lips of listeners
Wherever these vessels came from
They leave this concert
Finding home,
Within the center of their Being.
Because the Majestic music’s
Seed has sprouted,
Transuding a composition of compassion.
Each cracked clay ceramic
Is now
A Garden of Sound
Of the Cosmic nature
Where Harmony is harvested.
The lips Sing Out,
Proclaiming the lyrics of Love,
Peace, Joy,
The Melody is mightily contagious!
Listen with open ears and join the throng.
The Song is sung,
By a choir of cracked clay pots,
Courageously prophesying Peace through broken-ness;
Broken-ness bears vulnerability,
Sculptured into compassion.
The concert is the contagion,
Infecting isolated
Containers of consumerism
Within the kiln,
Basking in Fellowship
A fiery festival
Of UNITY:
Brown broken basins, And
Black broken jugs, And
Red Clay cracked ceramics, And
Containers; a plethora of hues
Singing a sacred song,
With the energy
Of the
Lyrics of Love.
Sing Along!