Session Players

Welcome to
the session player’s
debut as leader; see how
measured he is
while underneath the calm
every riff never used
is bubbling to get out
and play; see how he
treats his friends, how he
lets them open up,
how no one expects it to sell
much because no one
knows their names,
see how little they care
as long as they’re free,
see how they never get to play
the songs live when the leader
takes them on tour.

Welcome to
the boss’s extended
overseas trip; see how much
gets done in her absence,
see how the assistant
calls who needs to be called,
talks to who needs to be spoken with,
see how everything falls into place
and how much credit the boss gets
for the smooth functioning
when she returns.

Welcome to
competency.  Welcome
to oiled, shiny cogs and
no monkey wrenches.
Welcome to the quiet hum
of what happens in spite of
the best efforts of movers and shakers
to break what ain’t broken,
to pretend that they’re
indispensable to the world.