A symphony is more than a collection of notes
Black dots strung out across ten lines
Indecipherable to the undiscerning eye
Telling a story to those who know how to listen
And the music isn’t always peaceful
It is loud, arduous, chaotic, and resentful
And the music isn’t always angry
It is the moderator, the disciple, the poet
It tells one story but lives many lives
Because a symphony is more than a collection of notes
The whole is greater than the parts
A bouquet is more than a dozen roses
A dozen times the words “I love you”
A dozen times the words “You are beautiful”
A dozen times the words “Baby, this is perfection”
Because we all know that a rose by any other name would not smell as sweet
Syntax matters, context matters
A bouquet is not always an expression of joy
A dozen times “I’m sorry”
A dozen times “Can we make this work?”
A dozen times “Please, don’t forget me”
Because we all know certain lighting can ruin a girl’s complexion
Syntax matters, context matters
It is more than the collection of single flowers
It is what the roses represent
The whole is greater than the parts
An ocean is more than an ocean
Not merely a body of water
Not merely a wet giant
The life force, the soul, the pull of the moon
Take this body out to sea
A million stories, a million deaths, a million tragedies
A million memories, a million lives, a million happy endings
You cannot stop the sea
You cannot swallow the ocean
Too much blue consumes one with melancholy
How can one pretend to comprehend its greatness?
Billowing, brimming, lapping, carrying a bottled message to a new home
And an ocean isn’t an ocean
An indiscernible collection of water molecules
Clinging together, chemistry, life, the host
The whole is greater than the parts
A human is more than the body
A collection of thoughts, emotions, memories
Skin on muscles on bones
A product of evolution
A reason for standing upright on two feet
A disease, a deformity, an insecurity
A specialized set of skills
An opposable thumb, a strong arm, a keen mind, a discernable personality
A human is a combination of thought, ability, and action
A collection of atoms, molecules, cells, neurons, feelings, insights, motivations
A piece of work
Because a human is more than what makes up the body
The whole is greater than the parts
A nation is more than a collection of people
We might not share the same history
We might not share the same religion, culture, values, morals, vision
Our skin is black and brown and white
Our visions can be divided or unified
We can be bitter and resentful
Or proud and patriotic
In the end, the blood is red and bullets cut deep
Give up your life for an idea
Because what we call home, who we identify as family
A nation is more complex than obscure lines on a map
The whole is greater than the parts
And what is it to be an American?
It is difficult to say that it is more than a collection of stereotypes and perceptions
A great, bustling, hungry crowd
Passionate, driven, angry, persistent
Passive, conservative, pious, resilient
And we cover every moment upon the continuum
And we embrace both ends of the spectrum
For it is impossible to place a label on something so complex and changing
A collection of intersectional identities
Immigrants, natives, the wealthy, the homeless
The sick and poor, soldier and saints
People bound together by laws, ideals, and the hope that there is more
A bloody, colorful history
Because what it is to be an American is different to every citizen
Yet the indiscernible holds the writhing masses together
The whole is greater than the parts
The symphony is more than the notes
The bouquet is more than the individual roses
The human is more than a body
The nation is more than individuals and people
And America is more than a collection of citizens
There will always be more and it will always be complex
The whole is greater than the parts
That is what it means to be an American
Collegian writer Nataleah Small can be reached at blogs@collegian.com or on Twitter @NataleahJoy. Leave a comment!
