With only twelve notes
the music commands
Some white and some black
their harmony grand
Scoring the melody
eternal and free
Whether Quincy or Frank,
Prince, Peggy, or me
Heaven the audience
Angels out front
Truth for a drummer
Sandalphon conducts
All time in abeyance
the chorus in song
Both gates swinging open
—the silence is gone
(The New Room: April, 2023)