Multi-instrumentalist by Clover Mullins
playing an instrument means learning how to play an instrument,
learning how to play means learning a new way to speak.
a new way to vocalize your tears,
a new way to love,
a new thing to love,
a new way to mask yourself.
you can learn to play a Sax;
smooth jazz,
background woodwind,
chip your tooth on the wood of the reed,
ask for a new one,
and continue.
you can learn to play an Oboe;
solo in a fairy song,
duet with the flutes,
tune everyone in the room,
be responsible for everyone in the room
except yourself.
blame your Oboe for your mistakes.
no one else plays an Oboe
because they are difficult.
you can learn to play a Violin,
but you'll hate learning how to play it.
tune it right,
you must perform.
grease your bow,
hold it right,
and perform.
scream to the audience
that it is not a fiddle
or a cello,
it is a Violin
and i learned how to play it.
you can learn how to play a Guitar;
pluck calluses onto the tips
of your fingers,
peel them off,
and build them back
with more resilience.
you can learn Piano;
play with both hands,
show off,
be the band teacher’s favorite,
receive private lessons
and praise.
you can learn how to play the Drums;
be loud and obnoxious,
drown out the soft melody
of the woodwinds
while you beat a cadence
out of your brain
and fix it.
you can learn how to Sing;
Join choir and belt
Do
Re
Mi
Fa
Sol
La
Ti
Do
until your teeth fall out.
vibrate your framework
and everyone else's
until the applause
saturates your pride.
if you are an Alto
prepare for the worst
and train for the best.
perform.
the Show must go on.
Clover Mullins, a poet, instrumentalist, and circus clown on the side, is a 17-year-old from a very small town in Wolfe County, Kentucky.