No Can Do

The slightest touch can prove too much The tile moves a fraction The greatest cost would be a loss By the other side’s inaction The ancient art of No Can Do Is all about inertia Equal and opposing force A minimum of pushing It can apply to physical things But the application’s wider It starts with the way one sings Then something comes from inside you A simple note Within the throat Just like the Tuvan chanter The counterpoint Starts to disjoint The other singer’s banter It’s out of phase And out of place The melody is canceled The silence roars Within our ears As alternates are handled The ancient art of No Can Do Is popular in Asia Origins in Kathmandu In sound it's like aphrasia