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© Paul Zarzyski. All rights reserved. These words may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.

In response to Martin Scorsese’s documentary, George Harrison—Living In The Material World, a poem from 51: 30 Poems, 20 Lyrics, 1 Self-Interview.

Hard Traveling

begins with our first drumrolled jump
out of the womb into the world of air
or water, into the days-old,
weeks-old, months- and years-old
rapid guitar-riff crescendo
toward our so-called peak
performance of our so-called prime,
not, if we are lucky—real lucky—
waning in the very same breath
but, instead, slowly into the day-
by-day, heartbeat-per-clocktick
deceleration of a lifetime
of breathing millions of conscious breaths,
each one, each unique one, a bronchial work
of beauty we keep secret, silent,
hidden from the world,
save for the most intimate
encounters with liquid or cold,
friend or foe or lover or god,
embracing us so firmly in arms
tender yet callous, frightful yet soothing—
so worthy of knowing what we know, we lay bare
all our magic, our miracles, all
the musical truths we are made of
before we move on.

                                    For George Harrison