SATB with piano
Composed for the Washington ACDA Summer Institute Commissioning Project, with a poem by Afrose Fatima Ahmed, this piece uses images of a bear coming out of hibernation and a conversation with a raven to explore societal changes, looking to the future with courage. “This morning the world cries out its song, I hope you opened your ears to hear it, too.” Click here to learn more about the poet.
this morning
I wake up and open my eyes,
not knowing what I will find.
stepping out onto the street,
the first step in a lifetime.
I’m a bear, skinny and starving,
leaving my cave after winter.
There are salmon in the ocean
inching closer, promising dinner.
This morning I opened my eyes
and the dandelion opened, too.
And the raven said, nice to see
you alive, we’ve really needed you.
When the fires were burning
and the people stayed home
or marched or denied, the airplanes
rested, and we roamed a free sky.
But you’re not a nuisance to us
winged ones, and you are not the cure.
But in the equation of the universe
you play an important figure.
This morning the day beckoned.
This morning I opened to the idea
of something new. This morning the
world cries out its song, I hope you opened
your ears to hear it, too.
~afrose fatima ahmed