Poetry : First Inversion

Dr. Robert Simon

Professor, poet, musician, writer, father extraordinaire.

If you’d like to see more of his poetry, please let him know in the reply section.

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First Inversion

This morning I watched the clouds part

Between squalls

.

In musical notation we call

three notes from the same diatonic progress a triad,

If you take the root (or bottom note, first position tone) and place it

Above the rest, it’s called first inversion,

.

So C-E-G becomes E-G—C,.

The extra space, that interval of a fourth,

A small leap to the ear and an eternity to the heart

.

Last year’s walk down the road

That parted two sides of the same forest,

A path for cattle and fire

.

First inversions mark the place

This morning I sat in two music classes,

Spent quality time in corrective response,

Then ate a cereal bar

And taught two courses in Spanish,

Spent quality time in corrective response

.

If we double the root of a C-chord in first inversion

We have E-G—C-E

.

The base is never the root, much like

Finding out your absent student can speak better

Than the one in front of you,

.

Than the way the flames cross the avenue

Or the ends of rainclouds meet

.

Between squalls

I watch as the final grey and green subside

23/II/2022

He’s also made an oath to get all my books published when I die.  I’m the “Occassional Poet©” and he’s the serious poet, but I’m dead serious about haunting him after this body’s expiration date until every last one of my books are in print. 😊

You can find more of his poetry starting at:  https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/an-ode-to-friendship-by-robert-simon/