A few notes from somewhere down the hall. That was it. Someone picked them up. Almost right. The last one went somewhere else. Again. A few became more. Something disappeared. Someone held the middle longer than expected. It worked. Daylight changed in the room. I heard it again. Not quite how it started. Better in one place. Stranger in another. I tried the first part. Someone answered. Wrong ending. Melody. Pass it over. I’ll give it back with something added. You take that part. I’ll take this one. We don’t have to agree on how it began. There it is again. Coming from somebody who wasn’t there before. They missed a note. Nobody corrected them. Good. Now everybody has a slightly crooked version. Mine goes up. Yours waits. Hers goes quiet. His keeps going— I caught myself singing the part I thought I forgot. Not how it started. Not anymore. Something else. Something that came back after passing through too many people. Melody. Pass it over. I’ll give it back with something added. You take that part. I’ll take this one. If you forget a piece, leave it missing. Someone will put something there. For the record: A melody was heard. Several versions followed. The original is currently unavailable. That’s fine. Sing yours. I’ll know where to come in.
