Poco a poco you stole my heart

As Kelis once sang,

Before you, my whole life was acapella

I found myself tone deaf,

Singing hymns in hopes that I would soon find

Someone, something to accompany me in song

A premonition had always lingered in my ears,

Humming to me in my sleep,

That one day my solo would intertwine with yours

And for the first time in my life, I would find myself

In a beautiful counterpoint with a beautiful soul

 

Poco a poco you stole my heart

With time, came absence

And with absence, came silence

And that silence,

Made the beat of my heart hit a molto ritard

 

Poco a poco you stole my heart

I never mastered an art

But one humid summer day

In August, six years ago,

I heard your vibrato tone wavering through the empty corridors

And eventually touching my soul

Even though you were no longer a flat or sharp in my key signature,

I still entertained the idea

Of you being an accidental spread throughout my symphony

I approached you with hesitant and light steps,

Set at a pianississimo

And despite my heart’s dynamic being played at a fortissimo at a tempo,

I never wanted you to know my reluctance to dance

With the groove being before me

 

Poco a poco you stole my heart

I let go of my fears

With every atomic particle in me, I allowed for the Grand Maestro

To introduce and conduct my voice with yours

As this song, once acapella,

Became an aria

For six consistent years since, your pitches became a melody

Forever ingrained in my mind

 

Poco a poco you stole my heart

When grave becomes the face of my composition,

You come in as my interlude

And transition my timbre from dark to brilliant

You confront my doubt with satisfaction

You reward my procrastinated practice and performance with success

And in the midst of all the chaos and dissonance,

You remain the only thing I see and hear

Like the faintest ray of light and consonance found in the darkness and silence

 

Poco a poco you stole my heart

The words “you’re mine” and “I love you”, with your tone attached to it,

Flutter from my eardrums and strum my harp strings,

Producing a sweet melodic sound of love and reassurance

Before you, I had no art,

But now, creating music with you is my strongest suit

I played with staccatos and tunes in constant diminuendo

Now my notes are accented,

My sound accompanied by crescendos to emphasize bliss,

And my songs and motions espressivo and grazioso

 

Poco a poco you stole my heart

You gave me friendship, blessings,

Discipline, confidence, respect,

Character, and a true understanding and passion for love

Your existence exists as a held fermata

And I pray the Grand Maestro never cuts you off

You are the original love of my life

And for you I thank the Most High