The Flight of Bodies in Music by Glen Mazis

…music expresses emotion through the 
resemblance of its dynamic properties

                     ─Suzanne Langer, Philosophy in a New Key

Joy races along on top of notes
riding horses lathered in full stride, 
leap through hoops ablaze 
through dark recesses of psyches
giving a kick to legs flying.
Then sharps full of pain goad 
listeners to cling to saddle hilts, 
losing hold of demon racers
as dancers' bodies fall onto the stage. 
Melodies zigzag through unconscious, 
light up inner eyes glowing 
brighter with each crescendo
propelling dancers to leap.

Other bits of the music hot 
escape high into the air, 
rising with soprano avian notes 
ascend almost beyond oxygen
as pirouettes leap above the stage. 
Chords trail these high tones 
gathered like geese flapping, 
a flight from bar to bar 
dangling the audience's hearts 
suspended from their flight  
spinning the dancers ever faster.

Then the worm-like march 
of lower registers, the base 
on base notes, struggle slowly 
through thick soil we know 
lies beneath us of earth groans,
compacted points of light 
crawling slow in the dark, 
each slow dance step 
timbre of our bones 
pushing buried hope.