Hard Music

hard music broke
upon us
as a wave breaks

as a breeze
breaks through a screen door
whispering “outside…”

except this breaking
tore us loose, tore us free
no gentle rocking

until released — 
instead a thrust
and arch into clean air

as if we were being
lifted above a crowd
we couldn’t join

but with hard music
we are lifted
above a crowd

of our own kind and
when we sink back
it is into their arms

to wait our turn to reach up
and carry another
on the wave

hard music
raising hell out of us
releasing it

hard music 
screaming
“this way out”