We came from everywhere.
Cities, rural backroads, South, West, East, from across a sea.

We carried it all in with us.
Our work, expertise, knowledge. Our disappointments, worries, joys, angers, fears, dreams, hopes, expectations.

We wore them on our faces, slung them over our shoulders, beat them in our steps.

We brought as many opinions and rally flags and perspectives and beliefs as there were faces into this space.
They were mixing, colliding. The tension outside was a tangible presence in our gathering place.

We answered the best we knew how:

We made music.

In hallways, quietly drawing melodies from our guitars,
in loud, joyous chants that echo from meeting rooms,
in the heartbeat of a hundred drums, together,

we made music.

In softly lit rooms, sharing the intimate, soft songs of our hearts
in the midnight jam rooms,
in the sudden improvisations around the instrument booths,
in the passed and shared songs down hallways, across aisles, through hotel walls,

we made music.

Through tears,
in joy,
for science,
for art,
to teach, learn, share, heal,

we made music.

Despite our differences,
in celebration of our unity,
in the faces of each of our own private struggles,
in the recognition of our humanness,
in the expression of our souls,

we made music.

Beyond language,

Above conflict,

Across party lines,

we made music.


Make music.