In a couple of years, they made another attempt to spend time with each other. This time, the tension was worse than before. Finally, one night as they were standing at the kitchen sink doing the dishes, one broke out in the nursery songs of their childhood. The other joined in. They sang their common poetry in German and the language and lyrics of that moment rekindled a bond that they hadn't been able to otherwise find in plain speech.
Poetry is humankind's first native language.
Once the printing press was invented in 1440 and words could be recorded, poetry no longer carried the news of the day. Longer forms like the novel and the memoir could be developed and reproduced. Drama could be written down, actors no longer needing the aid of poetry to help them remember their lines. Now we have the internet, fax machines, cell phones, and CNN to carry our news, deliver our messages, and link together our diverse culture. The great German medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen thought real spirituality rested in the creative moment when art was born.