In reading about the stories we as creatives tell through our (he)art, I came across this phrase from a Quiltfolk blog article.
It resonated. I ruminated. I wrote a poem.
The Meaning We Make with Our Hands
Laura Bruno Lilly © 2024
I tell stories
I paint pictures
I touch hearts
with sound.
Found sound
Composed sound
and sometimes spoken.
Phrases shaped
Rhythms formed
and all the silent in-betweens.
Peppered throughout with tone colors
both nuanced and bold.
Listen
My music speaks
its own truth.
Listen
My music speaks
its own truth….. Love this!
Thanks, Wind Kisses!
Laura, I love how your poetry and music are shared in tonal colors! 🙂
Thanks for your smile of a comment, Laura.
My goodness, this poem pierces the heart, and gets to the root of music and the arts (which you do so well.) You are a heartist, Laura. Thank you!
Thank you, Jennie!
You are welcome, Laura.❤️
I feel your heart in this poem, Laura. And yes to the silent in-betweens! So necessary in all aspects of life but especially art! I believe music is a form of storytelling – it always reaches in and tells us a story, doesn’t it? And those still, silent moments are breath-giving.
I read somewhere that the bones in our spine are actually musical. We are made for music!
Thank you Sharon.
Great conclusion after your remarks: “We are made for music!” Yes, indeed. 🙂
That is a wonderful poem!
Thank you. If not for you, I would never have discovered QuiltFolk Mag/blog…which is where that phrase came from as mentioned in my post. Funny this community we’re a part of…
Keep making meaning with your hands, Tierney!
I am honored 🙂
I know – we may never meet in person but we can keep inspiring each other 🙂
Yep!
Love the poem very much. Also noticed your categories for it, and love one of them especially. 👍
My what a clever comment, Marty. BTW: that category is my ‘default’ category (always listed) for the duration…see ya around!
💕
you, too, LA!
Music communicates without words, but sometimes I find that words are a kind of music unto themselves. Your poem is a lovely example of this.
Well put, Ms Bean. Thank you!
Beautiful poem Laura, thank you for sharing 😊
You’re welcome and thank you for stopping by!
You are quite the multi-talented woman! Quilts, music, and poetry too. It’s always good to hear from you 😀
And it’s always good to hear from you, too! 😎
Laura, a beautiful and profound poem! Not only your music speaks its own truth but your poetry too. I love this poem, hear the music within your words, the phrasing, the layout. Wonderful. It’s interesting you mention the silences within music as discussed this recently with my son who plays the piano and agreed how key those silences are to any music – not something I’d thought about much before! Wishing you a wonderful start to June, my friend! Xx ❤️
You’re right, poetry is like music – without phrasing notes and/or words are merely a series of strung-together placeholders. Thank you for your own heartfelt response to my poem, Annika. How’s your son’s music composition coming along – still a passion?
Lovely to chat about music here, Laura. My son graduated last year and now works full-time as a software engineer plus busy buying a house so alas music ha taken a back seat. Just for now I hope as it is such a big part of him – he still has a huge interest, thankfully!
What good news, you must be proud!
BTW: I know from experience the music never abandons one with (he)art who has stepped away for awhile to attend to other life needs.
Bless you, Laura, that reassures me and brings tears to my eyes! I do love your (he)art concept and one that stays with me. xx
(hugs)
Oh, Laura! Your poem is so beautiful and heartfelt. Thank you for the gift of your (he)art. <3 <3 <3
Coming from you, my poet friend, this is quite the compliment. Thank you!
<3
I love that, Laura. It’s so interesting how music communicates without words, but just like language, written or spoken, those silences or gaps between notes or words or phrases say so much.
As per our poet discussion from your post – extending to gaps as relevant in response to music –
“We bring our hands together
in applause, that absurd noise,
when we want to be silent. We might as well be banging pots and pans,
it is that jarring, a violation
of the music we’ve listened to without moving, almost holding our breath.” from ‘Brendel Playing Schubert’ by Lisel Mueller (Hopefully the poem’s layout gets reproduced in the comment)
Keep making magic, Laura, through your words and in your music.
Thank you Pete – champion of encouragement!
Kind of comes with the territory when you’re a teacher—even a retired one. 😊
Add me to the list that LOVES “the silent in-betweens.” Beautiful poem, Laura.
I knew you’d get it, Janis…I’m betting your road trips don’t always have to have road trip music blasting! 😉
That is beautiful, Laura.
Thank you, Lavinia…
I like how you still use (he)art. The poem is lovely. So important are “the silent in-betweens.”
Thank you, Jane! In our frenetic world, lifestyles, and yes, often in contemporary music – silences are often misconstrued as time wasters.
Love it, Laura! “And all of the silent in-betweens”–so glad you included them, since they play a part in music too. Very lovely! Now I wonder what a poem based on your quilting would sound like. Hint, hint. 😄😊
Hint taken! 🙂
Yep, silence, pauses, stretching (tenuto), fades, etc are organic essentials in enabling music to be heard.