This year for National Poetry Month, I am Spring Cleaning the open tabs on my desktop. That is, I'm writing about them, so that I can close them and reduce my digital clutter. Recently a friend sent me this hymn, and I've had the tab open for a while:
Music and choral arrangement by Jay Rogers, words by Meggan Moorhead, and musical performance by Sam Robson, samrobsonmusic.com.
Part of life right now is weeping with those who weep. That means those who have lost family members and loved ones to the pandemic or to other illnesses. It means the victims of violence and suffering around the world. It means those who don't have enough to eat, or who struggle for daily necessities. It means those here in Haiti who have been kidnapped or affected by other traumatizing crimes. We are all members of the human family that experiences these things.
Not one voice but many voices
Not one note but still one song
Not one dying, not one grieving
All are ours and ours to mourn.
I want to turn away from the suffering, but that doesn't make it go away.
April 1 Kat Apel at Kat Whiskers
2 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
3 Mary Lee at A Year of Reading
4 Donna Smith at Mainly Write
5 Irene Latham at Live your Poem
6 Jan Godown Annino at BookseedStudio
7 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
8 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care
9 Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
10 Molly Hogan at Nix the Comfort Zone
11 Buffy Silverman
12 Janet Fagel at Reflections on the Teche
13 Jone Rush MacCulloch
14 Susan Bruck at Soul Blossom Living
15 Wendy Taleo at Tales in eLearning
16 Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe
17 Tricia Stohr Hunt at The Miss Rumphius Effect
18 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
19 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
20 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
21 Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
22 Ruth Hersey at There is No Such Thing as a God-forsaken Town
23 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
24 Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference
25 Shari Daniels at Islands of my Soul
26 Tim Gels at Yet There is Method at https://timgels.com
27 Rebecca Newman
28 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
29 Christie Wyman at Wondering and Wondering
30 Michelle Kogan at More Art 4 All
And here's a roundup of some of the amazing, creative projects going on during NPM this year.
9 comments:
It is lovely, Ruth. Yes, we cannot ignore all the hurt and need. We must keep watching and helping. Hope you're having a nice day with your students!
This is beautiful, Ruth. The music was haunting yet calming as well. I loved the harmonies. We all need to act as one human race, watching out for and helping each other. For if one is hurt, so are we all. Thanks for sharing.
So much sorrow, so much grief, so much need. At times it can be overwhelming to consider. Thankfully, we have one another. And music. It's such a balm. Thank you for this.
An absolutely gorgeous, haunting hymn, full of brightness and darkness, too - I will listen to it many times, I think. I just want to drink it in. Thank you for sharing your heart for those who grieve. Once when students asked me what superpower or magic power I'd want - i said "healing". You offer that here, too, Ruth.
Haunting and grieving. Thankful for the music that heals. What a superpower music is!
"Part of life right now is weeping with those who weep." Such big truth.
Can't turn away from the suffering but we try to do whatever we can for those who come our way and try to make a difference however little. Touched by this one.
Dear Ruth, I cannot thank you enough for sharing the Hymn for These Times that I wrote
with Jay Rogers! Sam Robson did a spectacular job singing all the parts. Since then we have had a number of choirs to perform it virtually. You can find them on YouTube.
It is so nice to see the comments of those who have listened
and are taking it in. Thank you, Meggan Moorhead
Thank you for writing it, Meggan! It spoke to many. And thank you for commenting and letting me know you read the post.
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