Armed with horsehair bow, The cellist reaches down through, Vertical teachings, Through horizontal stratagem, Discovering subtle, powerful sound itself, Spreading life in its natural state, Floating in songs disciplines compiled, Colliding far above the, Serpent’s judgment, Above digital, electric lies, Acoustical sound resonates across time, Penetrates false bravado, Like the point of a dagger, Buried to its hilt and twisted, Acoustic sound binds us all together, Fuses us into one culture, Indifference and prejudice shudder, Confused, They try to hate, Frightened by their own emotion, Frightened by life’s audible truth, Unfiltered feelings loose, Brought forth and breathing, Through unfettered fingerboard, Sublime classical sound, Enfolds us all, In its depth and rich tones, Unmatched in purity, It protects our souls like armor, In the lair of the serpent

Drawing and poem courtesy of Mike (Muddy Six-Nine) Hedger

Intimate partner violence accounts for 15 percent of all violent crime. One in three women and one in four men in the United States has experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. Husbands are five times more likely to kill wives than vice versa. A third of female homicide victims are killed by an intimate male partner or ex-partner, according to FBI reports. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ndv0312.pdf