Eternal Heartbeat

I was inspired to write this after discussing with my dear friend and percussionist Natalia Perlaza and the unfolding of her new project Corazon Sound Wave Meditation. As a drummer, she is ever seeking the reasons for and mysteries of rhythm and how we can creatively incorporate that knowledge into our lives.    Ismail Butera

Eternal, Cosmic Heartbeat

Out of nothingness, formless, we became

As if out of nowhere, somewhere, anywhere
Or perhaps fallen were we from another dimension 
Composed from the four elements...
Air, Earth, Fire, Water

Existence, reality or a dream, yet there it is
The only truth we will ever know
Memory fades, yet stimuli remain, time passages

Hearkening to an era primordial
We ponder our innermost thoughts, and wonder
Yes, I remember! I know I was there
Or, at least I think I was...

Crystalline purity, luminescence, pristine celestial glory
Out of joy and love, longing for more
To be seen and self imitated, out of sheer adoration
Unable to control the ecstasy, our spiritual selves
Desire they to manifest
Like the Sophia we entered into the realm of consciousness

A place of being, of formulated matter
We brought the memory with us, reminded always
Of the rhythm of creation

The primordial heartbeat, that regular incessant drumming
That counts our days and sets our pace
Defining and informing who we are, why we are
To ourselves and to each other
Our unique mark, our stamp, the identity factor
The primordial heartbeat taps out it’s rhythm, regularly

For all the time we have been, for all the days and aeons
Spent here, in our mortal body in this realm of matter

Dance oh soul, dance!
Round and round, beams of light you are!
You danced in the womb of the Mother
Her heart rhythm, taught to you, passed on
To maintain the connection with that day
When you issued forth
As me, as you, as each and every being
Destined to inhabit this place, this realm
Play, dear drummer, beat out the cycle for me
Every beat of thy drum is
Accompanied by a flash of light, of many colors
The pattern is played, never ending, on and on
Reminding us of the joy of being
The very reason we came to be
Let me dance until the day comes
When the eternal drummer shall cease
Ending her concert, terminating the play
Our stay in this place, completed
Our reason for being, our work finally brought to an end
Then happily, with joy, we return to the realm of light
Slowly now, the tempo decreases
As the breath becomes aware of the change
Another being is born, as another cosmic drummer
Beats the rhythm of life, coming into existence
A new tempo develops, inviting fresh souls to partake
Of the gala festival
For those who are yet to come and dance
For those yet to have tasted the joy and the pain of living
In this we are all guests, attendees at the cosmic ball

Natalia Perlaza, Dumbek

Photo, Felipe Beltran