A Perfect 5th - Oct 26 2026

 

A Perfect 5th

Oct 26 2026



I have no idea what a perfect 5th is.

Except that it pleases the ear

has even been called euphoric.

The democracy of music

where even know-nothings get a vote.

Was it part of the music God chose

on the 7th day

when he took His well-earned rest?

The mellifluous interval

the orchestra ended with,

lifting their spirits

on the upper deck

as the Titanic went down?

We make music,

but really, like the laws of motion and speed of light

it’s out in the world

and we simply discover it;

as if the music of the spheres

governed the universe.

Because even the lowly mosquito 

an insect we despise

uses the 5th to harmonize,

a mating pair

adjusting their frequencies 

to create a perfect interval.

Perhaps I should listen more closely 

to that damned infernal buzz.

If only it was as simple for us

to find and keep a lover

   —  a pleasing duet

with the opposite sex

and you’ve found your perfect match.

Instead of punk,

smooth jazz

played by ear.

That knowing nothing of musical theory

or how to play an instrument,

you can still fall in love with your soulmate 

simply by listening closely

and clever use of the tongue.

A friend sent me this link, and the poetic possibilities came  immediately to mind.

https://www.mosquitoalert.com/en/los-mosquitos-armonizan-sus-zumbidos-en-duetos-de-amor/

Here’s the gist of the article:

“Until not so long ago it was thought that insects were great masters of timing and rhythm when it came to mating, just think of the summer concerts of cicadas and crickets, but they did not control the pitch very much, however the mosquitoes did. make. In fact, when both sexes adjust their frequencies, the interval between the pitch of the male mosquito and that of the female mosquito comes very close to what musicians call a perfect fifth. For centuries, composers considered the fifth interval to be the most euphoric of all, something that seems to work in the case of mosquitoes: if the male manages to create a duet with the female, creating a fifth interval, the chances of being chosen and reproduce multiply. In other words, the female tends to choose the male who best sings her duet.”