you’re embarrassed by your own om
you say—planning your funeral
considering deep drones
only a limited number of patterns
exist for such a song
played in one breath
a prayer for a pregnant woman’s easy delivery
a tender preamble for a new instrument
a piece played for expressing gratitude
a state of mind resembling moonlight
a lighter one for festive occasions
a piece for overcoming difficulties that could have been handled better
a piece representing manifestations of self-discipline
an offering at a service for the dead
a piece expressing longing for home
if there are indeed
“still songs to sing beyond mankind”
we’ll need those
now
Copyright © 2018 by Jen Bervin. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on February 26, 2018, by the Academy of American Poets.