Duet

It's not as if either tune was insufficient
on its own. Two intricate and harmonious
melodies, each with its own consonance
and shifts of meter and the sly humor
of notes that Mozart mastered.
Two expertly imagined tunes,
and well worth singing.
After all, most of the world sings solo, or backup.

But this is something else - the small miracle
of a duet. Not melody and harmony, but
two melodies intertwined, made richer
by singing together. Sometimes
it is harmony. Sometimes counterpoint, or fugue -
the notes nimbly chasing through time.
And yes, there is dissonance, which
is also part of the beauty, the clash
that opens the possibility of a new resolution.

The world of opera knows
that duets are for lovers.
Of course they are. But what those
clever composers miss is that they are
also the language of partners, of companions
who have chosen the long road together
and are prepared to dance.

~ Lynn Ungar

Read more of Ungar's poems at her website LynnUngar.com.