6. WALL of SOUND
He walked a while along the beach
And breathed the fresh sea air.
The evening sun was low enough
To allow a direct stare.
Like a huge big fiery orange ball
It sank in the rippling sea -
Saying farewell to the burning sky -
And setting the evening free.
The tide was out and a shallow swell
Was lapping at the shore
And the full white moon made patterns
On the sandy ocean floor.
As he walked along the moonlit beach
He heard a strange new sound
And thought it was a waterfall
Rushing to the ground.
But then he heard faint noises
Like squeaks and muffled cries
And he thought he could hear music
Coming out of the darkening skies.
As he walked it seemed as though
The sounds were everywhere
But even in the bright moonlight
He could see nothing there.
So he walked along the beach some more
Not knowing what he’d find
Until he realised the sounds were now
All coming from behind.
So he turned around, quite puzzled now
And started walking back
And at that very moment
Saw a huge rising wall of black .
He went to have a closer look
To see what it could be
And found himself among some boulders -
Smoothly rounded by the sea.
Then he came upon some jagged rocks
And it suddenly became clear
As he saw before him the towering cliff
Of rock - pitch black and sheer.
He stood a while there, looking up
Amazed at what he heard.
The gulls and gannets nested there
For it was safe for any bird.
The squeaking and the muffled cries
Were the birds in restless sleep.
The music had stopped - it was just the birds
Otherwise not a peep.
So he turned around and headed back
Towards the shimmering sea
And on the beach he heard the music again
As if the water were the key.
He stood at the water’s edge
And faced the huge cliff once more -
Closed his eyes and listened
To the curious musical score.
There were no instruments he could perceive
And there were no songs that he knew
Yet the music was strangely familiar to him
As the strength of the symphony grew.
Then there, in the dark, he opened his eyes
And turned, looking out to the sea.
In the light of the moon the musicians sat
And performed their strange symphony.
Shimmering figures afloat on the sea
Making music unknown to the ear
There were no instruments making a sound
Just their voices - crystal clear.
An unbelievable sight - an incredible sound
As the music came out of the air -
Not coming from them but as if from the cliff
Like their voices were actually there.
They were afflicted by a terrible wish -
It was an old and wicked spell
That was cast on them a long time ago
In Atlantis when all was not well.
The moon was jail for their voices.
The cliff owned their beautiful sound.
The sea held their shimmering figures
And at dawn they would be drowned.
It was their final performance
For they could not bear it at all -
Begging the moon and the merciless sea
To hear their voices in a cold stone wall.
The man stood up as dawn approached
To bid these poor beings goodbye
And for the first time he felt a small tear
Come out of his Airy Land eye.
The moon was complete, the cliff was secure
And the sea was a perpetual thing -
So why would they need to possess everything
That it took for these poor folk to sing?
As the sun announced dawn and the sea became calm
They came over the water to him.
As if hoping he’d help them -
To free them again - get them out of the trap they were in.
In a moment of pain, the man cried out
And the birds in the cliff flapped in fright.
The spell was not made in Airy Land
And it was going to put up quite a fight.
Remembering that this world was all his anyhow
And his every thought would come true
He knew that these people were in Airy Land too -
As if another world had slipped through.
Whatever the laws of this other world were,
They would have to comply now with his
For he wanted happiness, peace and love
And while in Airy Land, that’s the way it is.
He invited the creatures to Airy Land then
To give their old lives a new day.
They had chosen a path which was soon to end
But they could change that the Airy Land way.
They decided their fate and wisely chose life
So they gladly stepped onto the shore -
Leaving the ocean prison at last
To be free from the spell evermore.
For an instant the spell tried to follow them there
But the friendly man soon set it right.
Spells of that sort had no place in his world -
And the gateway was shut, solid and tight.
The creatures of music returned to the sea
And the ominous cliff changed to white.
There was music again - all around him once more
As the orchestra swam out of sight.
What a difference it made to have true peace of mind
And to offer it freely around
For surely these creatures would have died that day
And Airy Land would have lost the rare sound.
So once more, the friendly man chose a direction
And found a large, tidal lagoon
There he saw hundreds more creatures of song
Released from the dark spell of doom.
Still the moon was complete - still the cliff was secure -
Still the sea was a perpetual thing -
The creatures of song were in Airy Land now.
Forever safe. Forever free. Forever able to sing.
SJ
Click below for