Ode to Callas

Callas,

From the very start I fell in love with you,
I fell in love with your artistry, your passion, your fire,
Your mastery of music, your fearlessness,
but most of all your willingness to be vulnerable.
Music can be all encompassing.
It can mesmerize you,
and make of you what it wants you to be,
It can leave you breathless, hopeless, loveless,
It can make you feel that you own the world,
It is lovely and frightnening all at once.
There must be millions of emotions that exist,
Through your voice, your spirit,
I feel I am able to experience each and every one.
I thank you for living, breathing, and bleeding music.
Thank you for doing what I was too afraid to do.
Thank you for your selflessness,
(to be an artist of your caliber, you must be selfless),
Thank you for sacrificing all that you loved,
so that you could give the world the gift of music.
I am eternally grateful.