This poem was inspired by the launch of the Musical Instrument Library's first stay and play venue. It's located about an hour from San Francisco in a creative playground composed of Forbes Island, The Maritol and a multi acre camp ground.

Forbes Island is an epic man made island with a light house, tiki lounge and ample deck space on the top of the island. Below is a beautiful dark wood bar, massive fire place and 2 guest rooms.

The Maritol is a massive ship that is an ice breaker which started it's life in Iceland before it was brought to San Francisco and converted into a recreational vehicle that operated as a hub for creative community to flourish.

This combined with the Musical Instrument Library is a foundation where creativity can freely flow and create opportunities for community and connection. The Musical Instrument Library is on a mission to spread music to everyone without barriers to access. Their work flies in the face of the commercialization of our world and wants to give the gift of art, community and connection because it's what is needed. It's a non-profit that supports a more caring and creative future.

It was this cocktail of energies which gave rise to this poem. The writing process was very organic. Once I knew I was going to the opening event and need to raise some funds wheels started churning. It was a few days of not thinking much about it but I knew my subconscious was brewing. Rarely does an idea come right out of the moment but can make it happen, like if I'm out with typewriter doing poems on the spot, other times when really looking to write something anything can be a spring board.

The piece came out in a few different writing sessions. It started with the first line about the big bang and flowed pretty steadily in the first session. There were a few times where I started going somewhere that I felt was off after a few lines. This is generally a part of my process when working on pieces like this. There's always elements in those lines that are getting at something related so usually end up informing what comes next. Most of it was written in that first session. The final sessions were figuring out the ending and a little bit of reading it, knowing it wasn't quite right, but wasn't sure what to do. Over a few day of this the final edits came through. The title and the edit of the final line were the last pieces to come through. (I included a scan of the original poem that shows this work. There's a few other poems that can be created out of the parts that didn't fit.)

It's not that art is important, it's that it's an organic part of life. You can't separate life from it. You could say that makes it important. One would think that this means it’s important but that to me is putting it in human framing. Nature doesn’t ask that question, it just does. Probably means we should pay attention because it’s important, but the things that are really important, are for some reason neglected in favor of endless profits at the expense of what’s important. So when the powers that be tell me something is important I don’t buy it. My aim is to help the world regain its sense of value. When the question about the value of art is answered with this reply “The same value as earth, air, water and fire.” I know my work will be a success.

Art is a human necessity. It doesn’t belong to any institution or culture. It belongs to everyone. Styles and forms may belong to a culture and should be honored but art as a primal force is the inheritance of all human beings.

To me this is what the Musical Instrument Library represents and this first stay and play venue is a living embodiment of it.

Let art be alive!!!