Dear Music,

We acquainted ourselves with one another

Before I had left the womb.

I heard distant rumblings of your voice,

Like the muffled heartbeat of a club across the street,

And though I had my doubts

I knew our relationship would last.

You were my playmate,

Spending long afternoons together

Dancing in the living room,

Bouncing from couch to couch,

And you were there for me,

With each misstep and each fall,

With each scuffed knee and each broken heart,

You picked me up, and we trampled on.

You were there, in every nook and cranny.

At sunrise, with the birds outside.

On long dreary bus rides, beside me as I let my dreams resume,

At school, in my classes, guiding me through the stress,

And even in lonely elevator rides to the dentist.

Yes, you were there, in the strangest of places,

And I often wondered how you got there.

You were my guardian,

Watching me as I struggled through work

Pen on paper, jotting down notes,

Ink seeping through the pages like an uncontrollable

Nosebleed.

You were there,

Blocking out the noise of my surroundings.

The neighbor’s dog barking outside

Reduced to a muffle,

The violent thunderstorm raging up above

Brought down to a shallow hum,

You allowed me to focus. And

You did it for me.

You were my blanket,

For when things turned for the worse

As the world crumbled around me,

As all things living turned against me,

Willing me to fall, throwing me to the floor,

You, my Music, you were there.

Yes, you helped me up,

And I felt your embrace,

Your slick texture and warm touch,

In my blood, in my buds, coursing through my nerves

Winding through my veins,

Wrapping me, surrounding me, protecting me.

Yes,

Under your covers, there was not a single worry in my mind.

And as I let it out,

As I opened the gates to tidal waves of

Emotion,

You were there, my friend.

You wiped my tears with your hands, smooth as a breeze

And suddenly it was as if, just for a second,

Everything was okay.