Three Guitars Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

Three guitars are screeching!
Scratching, clawing, reaching
For the next chord, for the best note,
For a chorus that will bring the crowd around
And hook them on the sound they’re sending out.

That is rock and roll!
That aggression!
That complete possession
That grabs you by the gut
And picks you up and drags you
Wherever they want to take you!

Whether they are furious about a war
Or curious about altered states of mind
Or children playing with drum sticks
And plucking away with guitar picks
On instruments they can barely handle,
It is their passion that fuels their music.

Bring three geniuses together and it becomes magic!
Listen to them listen to each other layer the sound!
Feel as the joy builds as each anticipates the others
One laying down the just the right rhythm so another
Can climb the ladder of a melody that will raise them
To the bridge where the third comes in strumming.

No one tries to steal center stage or overshadow the others.
No one assumes that the other two must follow his lead.
No one’s ego is so big that he feels the need to overreach
And unbalance what has been building so beautifully.

I can see on their faces that they are surprising each other.
I can see in their eyes that they are inspiring one another.
I can hear in the rising chords that their excitement is peaking.
And just when you think they will try to keep it going forever
Without a clue that I can detect, they bring the piece to a perfect end,
Leaving the listeners stunned and themselves supremely satisfied.