To Let a Song Go (Justin Campbell)

You stole my song

That was my melody to give to you

            When the last note of our ballad was muted,

            When our chorus was finally quieted,

            When all of the instruments were given to rest,

   You covered your ears in an

                  anthem

                        with a treble clef of bitterness

with a bass clef of pride

with a grand staff of a new freedom

And within the reverberation of memories, regret, and vulnerability,

      you cradled my song

Guarded by a wall inscribed with lyrics which you and I shared like a constitution

But constitutions are voided

Songs are lost in the collective frequency

Music evolves through new voices, harmonies,

   and inspiration

And at the end of a concert and following

   the opera, there is sometimes an encore

But always a new song