You’re in a tiny basement
In the depths of downtown Manhattan
Any further south and you’d be in the water
(Or on the bridge)
And a musician is playing
Bass clarinet and
Using a loop pedal
And the sound he creates
Is extraordinary
You didn’t know a bass clarinet
Could be rhythmic
Or sound almost like a didgeridoo
The music is meditative
Evocative of something far away and
Unknown yet strangely familiar
The musician’s little daughter sits in the front row
Enthralled

And then your friend from Sydney gets up to play
A flute solo
You met in another lifetime
After Kris, before Aaron
And while you’re watching her
Play her virtuosic compositions
Inspired by the sounds of space
(Cosmic vibrations - F Major, the rings of Saturn - C Major)
And the stories of refugees
And the insights from meditation
It occurs to you that this is a full-circle moment
By some strange happenstance
You’re reconnecting
After Aaron
(Something you never thought you’d say)

​And her music touches your soul and
Reminds you of another time
When you played flute everyday
And passed your 8th grade AMEB exam
The person who was so excited to move to London
“Five years in London
Five years in New York
And then we’ll see what happens”

Here I am
Twelve years later
A new chapter begins.