Lost Chords

Our story began one quiet night

In a small studio, under dim lamplight. 

Over a piano, our Creator hovered

and our song was slowly uncovered.

We were nothing more than simple chords,

Not ready for stages or spinning records.

Still, we were elated to be brought into existence,

And knew we’d find completion with some persistence. 

But as our Creator stumbled along the ivory keys,

A heaviness filled the air with his growing unease.  

From deep within swirled the makings of a storm,

As thoughts of doubt and insecurity began to swarm.

With a long sigh, our Creator stopped his magic,

And brought to life something horribly tragic. 

A chill ran through the studio and the shadows grew long,

As a dark mass manifested in the absence of song. 

Our Creator didn’t resume playing, something surely began to weigh

Heavy on his mind and soul, as he rose from the piano and went away. 

“Who goes there?” we asked. “What do you want?” 

A laugh filled the studio, malicious and nonchalant. 

“I am the monster of shadows, of malaise and monotony. 

I’m The Darkness that feasts on dreams with ferocity.”

From the shadows, we could see The Darkness creep.

“Now you’ll live in my world, never to be woken from sleep.

You’re a forgotten dream, forged by doubt and despair. 

Your song will never be sung, and you’ll die in my lair.”  

There was no stopping our fear growing inside,

For The Darkness’ power couldn’t be denied. 

We cried out to our Creator, our sole hope for survival,

We knew he was capable of defeating this dark rival. 

But the studio remained empty, and The Darkness took shape,

Revealing red eyes and sharp teeth in its mouth agape. 

We refused to believe our Creator would leave us behind,

So we bolted from the studio in search of his mind. 

We sprinted through the street and dove into a crowded bar,

While The Darkness stalked behind like a hungry jaguar. 

The bar was filled with loud music and shouts,

Along with enough drinks to cure any drought. 

The stage held a raucous group of musicians,

Who yelled at the crowd with detailed instructions.

We could see the band’s song wrap individuals in an embrace, 

Its energy was electric, sparking a smile on everyone’s face. 

The crowd danced wildly across the sticky floor, 

It was hard to concentrate through the wild roar. 

We looked through the faces, the smiles, and jeers, 

Aware of the red eyes, bearing down on us like spears. 

We couldn’t find our Creator, he was nowhere to be found.

We needed to keep searching, we couldn’t stick around. 

We weaved through the crowd, hoping to lose the shadow that lurked,

But The Darkness stayed hot on our trail, our plan hadn’t worked. 

We were in desperate need of a melody, a powerful harmony, chorus, and hook

That only our Creator could give, so on every corner we’d continue to look. 

We moved through the city, and found a man strumming a guitar,

His sad minor chords ignored by every passerby, near and far.  

His open case before him held not a single bill,

Even though he clearly was a man of great skill. 

This wasn’t our Creator, though we couldn’t deny the similarities, 

As this man too wrestled with dark and malicious insecurities. 

He put down his guitar with a sigh,

And his unfinished song floated on by.

Up in the air it hung, 

So new and so young. 

By now, The Darkness had caught up, it wasn’t far behind.

Drool dripped from its fangs at the new meal it did find. 

The Creator left his song and shuffled down the street, 

His slumped shoulder admitting dejection and defeat. 

The Darkness pounced on his music’s permeability,

And gobbled the notes up with vicious ferocity. 

The Darkness grew in size, and loomed over us with a sinister smile.

“There’s no point, I will devour you too. Running isn’t worthwhile.” 

We dug deep inside, mustering the last of our strength to loudly exclaim, 

“We will find completion, and refuse to succumb to your deadly chain!” 

The Darkness only laughed, and we couldn’t help but cower. 

It wasn’t looking too promising, perhaps this was our final hour. 

Our strength and resolute began to waver,

The odds no longer tipped in our favor.

How we missed our Creator, and hoped he was okay.

Perhaps he’ll write a new song, and overcome dismay. 

The Darkness snatched us in his talons, we were on the brink of collapse.

But then, a familiar melody rolled through the air like ocean whitecaps.

It was a tune that had the beginnings of light, hope, and love.

A song we recognized, and it beckoned us to become a part of. 

With intense effort, we wrangled ourselves free,

Causing The Darkness to scream like a wailing banshee. 

We sprinted back to the beginning, The Darkness continuing its wail,

And found our Creator trying again, his fingers dancing down a scale.

We joined the other chords, and a smile spread across our Creator’s face.

Our song was uncovered and we found life, our heart beating through the bass.  

The music rang out, and our Creator laughed up at the ceiling. 

“Ha! I thought these chords had completely gone missing!” 

Entwined in the arms of the other notes, we sang out into the open air,

As dawn peeked over the horizon, bringing an end to this horrid nightmare. 

The Darkness screamed, rearing its beastly head,

As its body tore apart, with eyes dripping red.

Desperately, it tried to find a shred of doubt to snatch,

Clawing the air for anything its talons could catch. 

But it was all for naught, our Creator beamed of creativity,

Of passion and confidence, of ambition and productivity.

And so, under dim stars and fading moonlight, 

The Darkness fled out into what was left of the night. 

But our story doesn’t end here, there is still much to be done,

For there are so many other battles that have yet to be won. 

Let our song be your guide, and give you strength, courage, and perseverance

To fight and defeat The Darkness that threatens your own creations existence.