The Empirical Manifesto

On an empty stage, all alone
Staring out to black
He plucks a single string
And the note carries to the back

He can hear the music in his head
As he slowly begins to play
Coming out close to what's in his head
But not in quite the right way

He improvises, trying hard
To express the theme within
But each shift he makes in melody
Only further compounds the din

Struggling now to contain the sound
And keep the stanzas straight
A semaphore from the audience
A cause to hesitate

Squinting now into the room
A single shadow glimpsed
With someone to play for now
He lifts his heavy instrument

A single note, then a chord
It responds within his hands
Wielding with both strength and grace
Now he understands

Faster now, more certainty
His fingers nimble quick
Sensation flows from rhapsody
A state of elated bliss

Winding down now full of hope
A single person cheers
He hears instead an audience
As his eyes well up with tears

An unexpected variable
Not sought when he began
That elusive accomplishment
Gained by a single set of hands

In all that you do if you do it alone
True joy you'll never obtain
Happiness requires you share your love
Your passions your goals and your pain.