- Published on
luminescence: the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated.
LuMinEssence: the mission of finding light in the dark.
The Concert
You’re in a tiny basement
In the depths of downtown Manhattan
Any further south and you’d be in the water
(Or on the bridge)
And a musician is playing
Bass clarinet and
Using a loop pedal
And the sound he creates
Is extraordinary
You didn’t know a bass clarinet
Could be rhythmic
Or sound almost like a didgeridoo
The music is meditative
Evocative of something far away and
Unknown yet strangely familiar
The musician’s little daughter sits in the front row
Enthralled
And then your friend from Sydney gets up to play
A flute solo
You met in another lifetime
After Kris, before Aaron
And while you’re watching her
Play her virtuosic compositions
Inspired by the sounds of space
(Cosmic vibrations - F Major, the rings of Saturn - C Major)
And the stories of refugees
And the insights from meditation
It occurs to you that this is a full-circle moment
By some strange happenstance
You’re reconnecting
After Aaron
(Something you never thought you’d say)
And her music touches your soul and
Reminds you of another time
When you played flute everyday
And passed your 8th grade AMEB exam
The person who was so excited to move to London
“Five years in London
Five years in New York
And then we’ll see what happens”
Here I am
Twelve years later
A new chapter begins.
In the depths of downtown Manhattan
Any further south and you’d be in the water
(Or on the bridge)
And a musician is playing
Bass clarinet and
Using a loop pedal
And the sound he creates
Is extraordinary
You didn’t know a bass clarinet
Could be rhythmic
Or sound almost like a didgeridoo
The music is meditative
Evocative of something far away and
Unknown yet strangely familiar
The musician’s little daughter sits in the front row
Enthralled
And then your friend from Sydney gets up to play
A flute solo
You met in another lifetime
After Kris, before Aaron
And while you’re watching her
Play her virtuosic compositions
Inspired by the sounds of space
(Cosmic vibrations - F Major, the rings of Saturn - C Major)
And the stories of refugees
And the insights from meditation
It occurs to you that this is a full-circle moment
By some strange happenstance
You’re reconnecting
After Aaron
(Something you never thought you’d say)
And her music touches your soul and
Reminds you of another time
When you played flute everyday
And passed your 8th grade AMEB exam
The person who was so excited to move to London
“Five years in London
Five years in New York
And then we’ll see what happens”
Here I am
Twelve years later
A new chapter begins.
- Published on
luminescence: the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated.
LuMinEssence: the mission of finding light in the dark.
Happy Feet
Today I walked over 16,000 steps
Uptown, downtown, across town
On my own and,
With a friend where the
Synchronicity was sparkling
At nearly midnight
I fell into bed
Exhausted
But happy.
Uptown, downtown, across town
On my own and,
With a friend where the
Synchronicity was sparkling
At nearly midnight
I fell into bed
Exhausted
But happy.
- Published on
luminescence: the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated.
LuMinEssence: the mission of finding light in the dark.
Spirited Away
How lovely to sit in a cinema
And watch a play
Performed from across the oceans
Nearly 7000 miles away
And bought to you by the witchery
Of capturing theatre on screen
And the play is magical and whimsical
And full of surprise
And for a few hours
You are transported
Away.
And watch a play
Performed from across the oceans
Nearly 7000 miles away
And bought to you by the witchery
Of capturing theatre on screen
And the play is magical and whimsical
And full of surprise
And for a few hours
You are transported
Away.
- Published on
luminescence: the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated.
LuMinEssence: the mission of finding light in the dark.
Back on Broadway
Back to ushering
For the first time in forever
I’ve missed it
And being back in the building
It feels like coming home
Patrons walk in
And they gasp
And they’re excited
And a couple of kids proudly tell you
This is my first Broadway show!
And you hope they will love it
As much as you do
Because this collective coming together
To tell stories
To sing and dance and trip the light fantastic
Makes your heart glow
Oh so bright.
For the first time in forever
I’ve missed it
And being back in the building
It feels like coming home
Patrons walk in
And they gasp
And they’re excited
And a couple of kids proudly tell you
This is my first Broadway show!
And you hope they will love it
As much as you do
Because this collective coming together
To tell stories
To sing and dance and trip the light fantastic
Makes your heart glow
Oh so bright.
- Published on
luminescence: the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated.
LuMinEssence: the mission of finding light in the dark.
Labyrinth
Work finished earlier than expected
So you go to find the labyrinth in Bloomfield and
Arrive in the midst of school letting out
Kids and
Crossing guards and
Buses and SUVs and police cars and
Hubbub
You almost turn around
But you find parking further down the street
And walk back to the church
The labyrinth is no where to be seen
Has it been taken away
Grown over?
Persevere
There, tucked in on a street behind the church proper
Fenced off in its own grassy lot
A lovely labyrinth
Shaded by tall trees
At first you feel self-conscious
Walking in loopy circles
In the middle of a grass lot
Shaded by tall trees
Just two blocks down
Cars are whizzing by
Kids are hanging out in the park
Busy-ness is happening
But then your feet take over
And your heart slows down
And the breeze is warm
And the sky is blue
And you trace the path
Around and along and around and up and
Around and along and around and down
Until you are in
The labyrinth’s centre
And you take a breath
And say a word of thanks
And you trace the path
Around and along and around and up and
Around and along and around and down
Until you are back at the start
So you go to find the labyrinth in Bloomfield and
Arrive in the midst of school letting out
Kids and
Crossing guards and
Buses and SUVs and police cars and
Hubbub
You almost turn around
But you find parking further down the street
And walk back to the church
The labyrinth is no where to be seen
Has it been taken away
Grown over?
Persevere
There, tucked in on a street behind the church proper
Fenced off in its own grassy lot
A lovely labyrinth
Shaded by tall trees
At first you feel self-conscious
Walking in loopy circles
In the middle of a grass lot
Shaded by tall trees
Just two blocks down
Cars are whizzing by
Kids are hanging out in the park
Busy-ness is happening
But then your feet take over
And your heart slows down
And the breeze is warm
And the sky is blue
And you trace the path
Around and along and around and up and
Around and along and around and down
Until you are in
The labyrinth’s centre
And you take a breath
And say a word of thanks
And you trace the path
Around and along and around and up and
Around and along and around and down
Until you are back at the start
- Published on
luminescence: the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated.
LuMinEssence: the mission of finding light in the dark.
meeting.
the kind of discussion
where everything else melts away
and you feel inspired
and excited
and hopeful.
where everything else melts away
and you feel inspired
and excited
and hopeful.
- Published on
luminescence: the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated.
LuMinEssence: the mission of finding light in the dark.
dress-ups
Oh what fun
To play dress up
And don a ridiculous wig
And put glitter on your eyelids
And paint your lips red
And wear a sparkly jacket
And feel
Joyful.
To play dress up
And don a ridiculous wig
And put glitter on your eyelids
And paint your lips red
And wear a sparkly jacket
And feel
Joyful.
- Published on
luminescence: the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated.
LuMinEssence: the mission of finding light in the dark.
Community
thankful
for the kindness
of community
and also
being able to stream
stage musicals
from around the world
tonight I watched a musical from Cambodia
about political upheaval
and lives being caught in history
and a musical from Korea
about a fictional phantom in France
what an extraordinary thing.
for the kindness
of community
and also
being able to stream
stage musicals
from around the world
tonight I watched a musical from Cambodia
about political upheaval
and lives being caught in history
and a musical from Korea
about a fictional phantom in France
what an extraordinary thing.
- Published on
luminescence: the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated.
LuMinEssence: the mission of finding light in the dark.
Gifts
Thank you for listening
Thank you for clarifying
Helping me understand
Thank you for making me feel better
Thank you for bringing light
When you are seen
When you are valued
When you have people
You can count on
It makes all the difference.
Thank you for clarifying
Helping me understand
Thank you for making me feel better
Thank you for bringing light
When you are seen
When you are valued
When you have people
You can count on
It makes all the difference.
- Published on
luminescence: the emission of light by a substance that has not been heated.
LuMinEssence: the mission of finding light in the dark.
Blossoms
The blossoms and magnolias
Make my heart sing
The pinks and purples and whites
The soft glow of them
The sweet smell of them
Signifying warmth and
Spring.
Make my heart sing
The pinks and purples and whites
The soft glow of them
The sweet smell of them
Signifying warmth and
Spring.