In the middle of February I visited Milwaukee for our show, to pack more and see all the people I love. It was intense, realizing I am really leaving my city and beloved community there, my children.  Through that visit Ian and I had so many wonderful talks about… So many things! One of them that I wished one of us had written on sooner was why we sing. Why is it so important? And why do we personally put so much into it? Now I can't remember all that we touched on, but a poem seems easier than an essay… Sarah 

Why We Sing

Long long before the written word   

Before we even talked    

Before names and labels   

Before tools or controlling fire  

We cried,      

We screamed

We yelled

into the wild air 

our calls

our songs

Where they floated up and wove our sounds and spirits with the wind

Tied us back to the stars

We ooh’ed and Ahh’ed and wow’ed 

We wondered and wandered through space with our sounds

We connected and healed 

And endured

 We remembered and reminded 

Then we danced and spoke and built and did so many other amazing things

We sing now to save ourselves

To deal with the slog

To celebrate

To keep ourselves human

To love and connect and share and heal

We sing because it moves us, the physical world in time with what we can not see with our eyes

or touch with our fingers

Because first there was sound

We sing because shit is flying at us and we are endangered

And all we have is each other

And our small beautiful planet

And the crazy ever expanding universe

And we are lost

Because singing finds us and brings us home 

We sing because everything is dying

And life is exploding out of the creaks 

We sing to gather

To get ready

To stay strong in the fight

We sing to release and trust

And to feel life

And tell it we love it