I am lucky to be involved with collaborators to pursue a passion — writing poetry. It is thrilling to see my words shaped in amazing ways by artist April Zay through Poetry Takes Flight, or blended with melodies as lyrics in the beautiful compositions of composers Mandy Monreal, Max Vladimiroff, and others.
Enjoy the following samples!
Home Is Where I Am
I wrote the lyrics for Home Is Where I Am, which is performed by Mandy Monreal and Cantor Devorah Avery with music by Mandy Monreal. (More music by composer/singer Mandy can be found at Mandy Monreal Music.)
River Song
I was commissioned to work with composer Reena Esmail and conductor Sun Min Lee and was honored to be part of the world premiere of I Rise: Women in Song. This 20-minute piece was created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dolce (Lehigh University Choral Arts Women’s Choir) and 45 years of women at Lehigh. My poem River Song was the third of five movements for 160 female voices and orchestra.
River Song
She heard the song by the river
And reached to capture every note
Holding her treasure close to her heart
Her muse heard her river song
And a crescendo filled
The head, the heart, the soul
Of everywoman
And they harmonized
They sang a song for the downtrodden
And the forgotten
Those cast off made whole again
Those ordinary made extraordinary
Through the magic of music
With her muse by her side, she flourished
Her voice, uplifted, heard by every woman
Her sisters joined her
Across the oceans and continents
Singing with one voice one song
Behind Your Eyes
Behind Your Eyes was commissioned and performed by the A Cappella Choir of Hobbs High School in Hobbs, New Mexico. Music by Mandy Monreal.
Behind Your Eyes
Behind your eyes,
I see the truth
Not words your lips form,
Your actions portray.
Kaleidoscopic images
Shattering
Rearranging
Expanding
Forming new patterns
New pathways
To your heart
In your heart
You are yearning
To achieve
The honeyed tones of melody
On the tip of your tongue
No discord
Just harmony
I see the truth,
Behind your eyes
The person I was meant to be
Elusive Peace
Elusive Peace premiered as part of Service of Lessons and Carols at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. Music by Max Vladimiroff.
Elusive Peace
Elusive peace,
God’s celestial light
Global searchlight cannot find you
Are you hidden in the rolling, emerald hills
In the vibrant, dissonant cities
Across the deep, untamed oceans?
Elusive peace,
Pulsating with life
Pulsating with hope
Blooms in the cracks of the pavement
Blooms in the face of hatred
Spread your silken wings
Repair our world
Yet till it roots in our bodies
Till it roots in our minds
Peace is elusive
Till every manwomanchild
Every racecreedreligion
Heeds God’s plea
Beseeching us, imploring us
Embrace our discord
Elusive peace,
Holy beacon of light
When the trumpet calls, we awaken
We want to listen, we want to respond
When we are shown the way, our path lit
We want to follow, bask in God’s grace
The olive branch
In the grip of a dove
Fly over hills, cities, oceans
Fly and help us to soar
Plant peace in our hearts
Plant peace in our souls
Yet till it roots in our bodies
Till it roots in our minds
Peace is elusive
We cannot hear the call
Our thoughts are tainted
We cannot see the way
Our vision is opaque
Till every manwomanchild
Every racecreedreligion
Heeds God’s plea
Listen to the beating of her heart
Listen to the beating of his heart
Listen to them
Listen to the beating of her heart
Listen to the beating of his heart
Listen to them
Beating the same rhythm
Listen to them
Beating the same rhythm
Listen to them
Listen
Flight
Flight was published in Tiferet: A Journal of Spiritual Literature, and actress Serena Berman performed it in a NYC production of The Sparrow. Music by Mandy Monreal.
Flight
Moonbeams shed their light
I grab a handful of stars
The golden grain leads me
To a field of dreams
Stirring crimson, gold and coral
We burst into flames
And in our creation we relish
A dance, a song, our voices lift
In flight, soaring
To the expanse of being
An existence outside the edges
Voices Unfolding
Voices Unfolding was selected as the class anthem for the 2011 Westminster Choir College commencement. Music by Mandy Monreal.
Voices Unfolding
Like seedlings planted,
Nubile, gently bending
Swaying in the wind.
We grew in life and learning
At this magical place.
Transforming us into envoys
Of celestial sounds,
Where each of us is an instrument
Of peace and love.
Living, loving, growing
Blossoms scatter,
Spreading our music
Across the world in harmony,
And ending in song.
The Wind Carries Me to You
This poem is featured in Poetry Takes Flight, my collaboration with artist April Zay. It is performed by Elizabeth Marilyn Magargal, soprano, during her Senior Voice Recital at Westminster Choir College. Music by Mandy Monreal.
The Wind Carries Me to You
The wind carries me to you
By word, by deed, by thought, by prayer
No one but you fills my mind
With melodies of songs exquisitely rare
My eyes fix on your photograph
It’s all of yours that I possess
There’s nothing else that means so much
It reminds me of your tender caress
Your whisper brushing my ear, my hair
Encircling my dreams, awake or asleep
You know me like no other love
You’ve captured my heart, it’s yours to keep.
I want you here by my side
I want you here as my guide
Please show me the way
To your heart
From Whence You Came
This lullaby for female voice and harp or piano is performed by Marthe Ryerson, soprano, with harp accompaniment. Music by Max Vladimiroff.
From Whence You Came (You, Who Were a Dream)
Dream with me, my little one
You, who were a dream
Now held in the crook of my arm
Your tiny hand warm in my palm
Your heart joined to mine forever
You, who were a dream
In your eyes I see the future
In your eyes I see the past
Your heart joined to mine forever
I will teach you to fly
And one day you will fly away
But you will always know
From whence you came
I will teach you to fly
And one day you will fly away
But you will always know
From whence you came
Dream with me, my little one
Absorption
Absorption was commissioned and performed by the Varsity Women’s Choir of O.L. Slaton Middle School in Lubbock, Texas. Music by Mandy Monreal.
Absorption
The rain beaded on her skin
As she raised her arms
To catch the glistening droplets
Rolling off her.
She threw back her head
And caught one
Melting on her tongue
Savoring its sweetness.
She tried to capture everything that day
Soaking in the sights
Burning images like slideshows
To view from her new home.