Friday, December 09, 2005

Lullaby for Listening with Eyes Closed

If I could write music, I’d set to life the sounds I hear playing in my head. I’d put in the air the sounds of all the feelings that fall unexpressed between the words and colors, the feelings that need music to be truly felt.

Tonight what I would write would be a lullaby, a special one. I’d write a song of friendship for everyone I love who’s never been sung to sleep. It’s the kind of song we’d hear only after our eyes were closed. The music soft and slow, dreamy and starry-eyed would have lots of major chords. I’d put tinkly sounds faint inside to make us see stars on the insides of our eyes. The music would wrap around us like a magic carpet and lift us up like air.

We’d sail in four/four time moving with electronic keyboards and guitars playing us along. While woodwinds faintly hummed our fondest thoughts so that we could sing along, smiling with our eyes still shut.

A bass guitar would keep us grounded like so many favorite trees, to let us know we always had a way back to our home. The strings would guide us beyond the leaves onto a distant breeze, so we could see that we don’t need to worry about all that worldly stuff. Soft voices would say that it was time to rest while the world goes round on its own.

Again those tinkly sounds would make us think of stars, and this time we would start to see them again only brighter. We would see a place where stars were diamonds on the inside of our eyes. We’d watch them in amazement before low sounds pulled our hearts back to our home.

Deep contra bass horns calling like voices in foggy, faraway hills, would play the song of all the lullabies sung for centuries, and we’d feel the love tied to every one. We’d touch the silver thread that joins every person to every star, and a whole rainbow would start playing. Near the end, we would hear angel voices say, “We’re right here for you.”

That’s the last sound we’d remember, before we fell asleep.

If only I could write music . . .

I’d write a lullaby for listening with our eyes closed

for everyone I love who's never been sung to sleep.

—me strauss Letting me be

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Liz, you are my last stop tonite before sleep, absolutely beautiful way to end my day. thank you for the beautiful lullaby my friend, I can hear it clearly in my head when I close my eyes, something to fall asleep by.
(hugs)

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Goodnight mergrl,
Can you see the stars behind your eyes?
smiles,
Liz

Anonymous said...

Liz, I'd like to bring your music to the children in Payatas who have probably never been sung to. Someone once said that we close our eyes when we pray, when we kiss, and when we savour a moment. Because some things can only be felt with the heart, not seen with the eyes. Thanks for the lullaby :) Good nite!

Anonymous said...

Liz, I really want to buy your book. There's a book, right?

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Theresa,
How wonderful to see you again!

I've never heard those sentiments that you shared. They are so right. I will keep them always. thank you, Theresa.
Smiles,
Liz

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Doug,
New picture! Is that you when you were a kid?

No book yet . . . want to be my agent? I'll give you a good cut and you can have the book for free. ;P

smiles,
Liz

Anonymous said...

Sure. I even know someone in publishing. Goes by Liz.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hey Doug,
You always make me smile,
When I have time to stop working just to keep my son in college . . . I'll collect all of this and make it a book.
smiling still,
Liz

Anonymous said...

Wow. You know I'm along for the ride. What a perfect way to fall asleep.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Jennifer,
Sorry you're reading it in the daytime. Maybe you'll get a chance to take a nap today. :P
smiles,
Liz

Anonymous said...

Geez, my bad...can you erase that last post I made? I hit my paste key on my mouse by accident!


Anyways, I just wanted to say that your song is beautiful it's looping in my mind as I type :)

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Nathalie,
No worries.
Thank you for your words about my lullaby.
Come by anytime. I'm always writing such things.
Smiles,
Liz

Anonymous said...

I know music changes when I close my eyes. Things happen that are very special. What I wanted to know is what happens. I searched Google and hit your blog and now I perhaps even yet I don't know what happens, but I do know it happens and how it happens. A beautiful post. Very sweet.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Thank you, Roberta,
for leaving this comment. Music is very special to me. I use it when I write very often. It changes how the words work in my head. I know what you are talking about.

Thank you, Roberta. Thank you.
Liz

Sarah Stuart said...

beautiful Liz!
didn't know you enjoyed philosophy ! i do too and wondering and wandering around words and music and songs !!!
surprising!

Thanks for sharing!

Sarah

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Thank you, Sarah!
I don't philosphy from dreaming. I just know that I care.

Anonymous said...

That is just lovely. I feel really calm and cuddly after reading this post.

My favorite actual lullaby (even tho the film it's from is far from PC nowadays) is "Baby Mine" from Dumbo. It's not really danceable, but that's what my son and I danced to at his wedding.

Off to sleep.

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hi Katie!
Thank you! I remember that song from Dumbo. It's a wonderful memory. I'm going to sit back and think on it now.