1. |
River Walker
01:04
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I only saw the river when we crossed the bridge,
I never took a moment to measure out its width.
It wasn’t my decision, I didn’t run the ship.
We traveled not for pleasure, it was a business trip.
But now I walk the river, I want to learn its course.
Some people call that leisure, while others call it sport.
But I will deem it neither, I’m drawn in by its force,
a streaming, flowing being connected to the source.
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2. |
Walkabout
02:44
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Oh, are you able to go on a walkabout with me?
I put all my cards on the table in a game of sweet memory.
There’s an owl in the box elder maple
and a squirrel and a hawk
in an alder by the stable
and oh how I wonder what you and I will see
when you’re able to go on a walkabout with me.
There’s a baby nestling deeply in a cradle
and the North Star shining brightly on the handle of a ladle
and oh how I wonder what you and I will see
when you’re able to go on a walkabout with me.
Oh, the day before I saw a sycamore
so enormous in proportions I compared it to a dinosaur
and oh how I wonder what you and I will see
when you’re able to go on a walkabout with me.
There’s an eagle flying over Conowingo
and a robin serenading from the branches of oa ginkgo
and oh how I wonder what you and I will see
when you’re able to go on a walkabout with me.
Now you’re mending the frayed endings of your sleeves
and I’m sending out blessings for our friends to be at peace
and oh how I wonder what you and I will see
when you’re able to go on a walkabout with me.
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3. |
How do you Measure Time?
02:58
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How do you measure time?
By value or degree?
By cause of by extent?
Effect or quality?
Time is ticking away,
I'm grateful for each day.
I'm a finite being
finding new ways of seeing.
How do you measure time?
By hour or by minute?
With all the days combined,
with power and with limits?
Time is ticking away,
I’ll value each day.
I'm a finite being
finding new ways of seeing.
How do you measure time?
With rhythm or routine?
And do you ritualize
the moments in between?
Time is ticking away,
I’ll treasure each day.
I'm a finite being
finding new ways of seeing.
How do you measure time
beyond what’s incalculable?
When lost to the sublime
but still so palpable?
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4. |
Unknown Territory (Dusk)
02:19
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The woods at night are not a place
I’d find myself to be
for my two eyes have such constraint,
relying on the light to see.
Trails that are familiar
become a blur as darkness drapes
with twilight being liminal
things merge into amorphous shapes.
And I was taught to go inside
as evening sun is descending.
This ritual, as if to hide,
what is the fading light portending?
To see the landscape disappear
perhaps induces worry.
But night is not a thing to fear,
this unknown territory.
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5. |
Miracle Occuring (Dawn)
02:46
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The sounds of dawn are filled with grace,
reminding me of peace.
Beginning with the robin’s song
which multiplies with ease.
Sounds that are familiar
gently stir us both awake.
Sunrise is the pinnacle,
a warming glow as daylight breaks.
It beckons us to go outside
and gradually it widens.
This ritual, which we imbibe,
fill up your cup with the horizon.
To see the landscape reappear
is always reassuring
because another day is here,
a miracle occurring.
It’s natural (another day, another day)
yet mystical (a miracle, a miracle occurring).
It’s wonderful, so many things are possible (the possibilities are infinite).
Don’t limit yourself (try new things)
Don’t be hard on yourself (a reminder to be kinder)
And remember (remember)
“Joy is not made to be a crumb”
There’s abundance.
Another day (another day), another opportunity
To radiate with joy (radiate with joy)
And resonate with peace (and resonate with peace)
Another day, another day is here.
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6. |
Infinite Wintering
01:48
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I’m sorting through the photographs,
the artifacts, the aftermath.
Resorting to a backing track,
the year where we all wore a mask.
I’m trying to make sense of things,
of who I was and what I’ll be.
And in the midst of this infinite wintering,
I find my little vessel anchoring.
And in the midst of this infinite wintering,
I find my little vessel anchoring.
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7. |
Simple Truth
03:58
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I was dealing with some severance,
there’s some things that I’ve been fearing.
And I couldn’t tell the difference
between being stuck or persevering.
I had turned into a skeptic,
retreated and reticent.
But a change in my perspective
was much-needed medicine.
When I saw a simple truth
as two hawks flew overhead.
Old cousins twice removed,
traveling far from the homestead.
They offered me a service,
it took me by surprise.
They seemed to say unlearn this
and remove your strange disguise.
All that has proceeded
resonates with peace.
You’ll find it when you need it
in the stars or flocks of geese.
Or in the river as the current flows.
Or on the hillside as the sunset glows.
Or in the meadow with twilight’s fireflies.
Or in the garden when a hummingbird alights.
You’ll find it when you need it.
You’ll find it when you need it.
Radiate joy, resonate with peace.
Radiate joy, resonate with peace.
You’ll find it when you need it.
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8. |
||||
All of a sudden the spiral dissolves
the moment moves into another layer.
Although our problems have not resolved,
this subtle shift helps clear the air.
And I’m reminded of the stars,
the Milky Way, the atmosphere,
the crawfish in the creek that crawls,
the inner peace from being here.
And where is here? I cannot tell.
I spend far too much time out there.
I know those landscapes all too well,
anxiety paired with despair.
The spiral turns and magnifies
I’ve learned how to discern its route.
And at the center of it lies
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9. |
My Parachute
01:17
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When I feel like I'm falling
Gratitude is my parachute.
Take me back, safely land me
Gratitude.
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10. |
Cosmos
04:17
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He wanted to be a botanist, but he thought,
“Not in this life, there is not enough time.”
But he found himself getting lost
in the microcosms that called to him often,
like golden pollen and columns of moss.
The cosmos called, the cosmos called,
oh, the cosmos called and he could not ignore.
When the cosmos beckoned for his attention,
he set the intention to spend time outdoors.
On walks he’d notice overflowing phlox
or a budding lotus that gave him the nod
that he was interlocking with the cosmos.
She wanted to be an astronaut,
but she was taught to remain grounded in class.
She found herself surrounded by four walls
and a ceiling so tall and made out of glass.
But the cosmos called, the cosmos called,
oh, the cosmos called and she could not ignore.
When the cosmos beckoned for her attention,
she set the intention to spend time outdoors.
Clear nights permitted
a trip outside of the city limits
and she’d stare for hours at the cosmos.
She wanted to be an ornithologist,
but someone convinced her
to dismiss her dreams.
Sadly, she listened, but later on,
she was redeemed
When the cosmos called, the cosmos called,
oh, the cosmos called and she could not ignore.
When the cosmos beckoned for her attention,
she set the intention to spend time outdoors.
A great blue heron graced her sight
and it grew apparent that she just might
be quite connected to the cosmos.
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11. |
Affinity
03:00
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I cannot separate myself
from the continental shelf
even when I’m drifting,
even when I’m dreaming.
And I cannot separate the snail
from the spiral or the shell
in the garden after dinner
as it’s gently gliding.
And I cannot separate the pigeon
from its perch up in the pine.
Listen, the repetition,
constantly cooing.
And I cannot separate the hirondelle
from its backdrop of the sky.
Crescent wings, scissored tails,
gracefully flying.
And I cannot separate the tides
from their relation to the moon,
changing phases, ‘tween my gazing,
receding and rising.
And I cannot separate the bells
from the sound of the divine,
every morning, every evening,
every hour that they’re ringing.
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12. |
Visitors
02:53
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13. |
Gradient
00:39
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I went to the hillside
to take in the view.
The sunset was radiant,
a golden to lavender gradient.
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14. |
Golden, Ours
01:38
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In the summer shine on goldenrod
and in the autumn shine on golden leaves
and in the winter shine your golden lives on our lives
and shine on golden meadows in the spring.
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15. |
A field
00:38
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A field of flowers fecund
for a season, for a second.
Then fallow by the morrow,
but don't partake in sorrow.
Rest is necessary
for things to be restored.
Cultivate a sacred space
for things to come together
on their own accord.
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Marian McLaughlin Baltimore, Maryland
For booking or any other questions or comments feel free to email me at marianmclaughlinmusic@gmail.com
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