1. |
Zoysia Grass
05:29
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Zoysia grass and a summer breeze,
the choice at last to do just as we please.
The juxtaposition of Jupiter and Venus in the west,
a sight to see, I believe, it takes away my breath.
Sipping on hibiscus,
underneath a waning gibbous,
waxing poetic about existence,
oh it’s riveting.
And that reminded me of when we were between…
The fox and the birch
and I overheard
a coyote with wings
chirping from his perch.
Well, I believe in the future
and uncertain things,
so I planted an oak
and I hoped from that seed
that a tree would grow,
one that I might never know,
and it would make shade,
it would be a home
for animals to live in,
that would be my gift to the Great Unknown.
And that reminded me of when we were between…
The hawk and the church
and I saw the lurching
movement of a painted turtle.
Furiously she toiled,
laying her eggs in the soil,
under a great purple crepe myrtle.
And how that hawk will prey
on her spawn the day
that her eggs all hatch,
they will be an easy catch.
But I believe in the future
and uncertain things
and the ebb and flow
of the web that nature weaves.
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2. |
An Eagle
03:53
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An Eagle
by Marian McLaughlin
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~a song for an old friend~
lyrics
...remember that time when you tried to explain the word sublime to me? But you got all caught up in the terminology of chemistry, fumbling around as you tried to speak. Figuring out how a solid turns into a gas, while totally bypassing a liquid state, just like to today when I went to the lake (the lake...). But something happened then, you snapped and ran outside, crying. I chased after you, barefoot in the zoysia grass, past unfazed rabbits, and found you at last, collapsed on your knees, starting silently a the sunset. On that evening, during that soft metallic June, as I sat next to you, I finally felt like I knew the meaning of that word, sublime...
One Sunday morning I heard shouting
coming from a crowd of eager people.
They were on some kind of outing.
Someone said that they saw an eagle.
It's been a decade since you left us.
Death was unpleasant then, my friend.
It's been a second, yes I reckon
since I asked this question, but I will ask again...
Where did you go that day, my eagle?
Where did you go that day, my friend?
Where did you go that day, my eagle?
Where did you go that day, my friend?
You took an exit,
connected to the nexus,
that's what I like to think,
that's what I pretend.
I don't believe in heaven,
but I still felt your presence,
I felt your spirit transcend.
I still make time to go out scouting
even on days when I am down and doubting.
Hoping that somewhere along the clouds
I'll make out the shape of an eagle.
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3. |
Open a Window
03:49
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Before the internet lived in my pocket
Before we all had avatars
There was an art to telling the time
we’d devise patterns and we would scheme rhymes
to remind ourselves and guide ourselves through life.
But now the internet took me as a hostage,
I find myself often lost and exhausted.
Jumping through windows can be such a task,
hey, bartender, I’m in search of something better
but I’m quite a big spender, so can I start a new tab?
An apple a day keeps the doctor away,
but I think this opportunity has passed.
I stared at the board and I held all the keys
but it was too hard to leave,
so I just opened a window, I just opened a window,
I just opened a window, I just opened a window.
The world is wide, but I’ve been lured
into a web embedded with wifi.
The world is wide, but I’m concerned
with how I’m led, who I follow, what I like.
The world is wide, but I’ve been spurned,
so it is best to turn away and hide.
And if I find that I need a breath of fresh air
cuz with the click of my finger I can flick through despair…..
well I will just open a window, I will just open a window,
I will just open a window, I will hopefully open a window.
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4. |
Hunt and Gather
02:54
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We used to hunt and gather
now there's a factory for just about practically
anything you can imagine.
We used to hunt and gather
now there's a factory for just about practically
anything you can imagine.
Are you overdoing it with your labor
when they're paying you mere wages,
but I wager
that you crave to have something that you can savor
and a line of work that sustains.
You feel like your best efforts are hidden
'cuz the internet is full of algorithms
and you're fed up keeping your head up
to swim in it, only to wash away.
We used to hunt and gather
now there's a factory for just about practically
anything you can imagine.
We used to hunt and gather
now there's a factory for just about practically
anything you can imagine.
Did you factor that into the equation?
That they'd inundate us with information,
then they'd track and capture and trade all of our data
day by day, day by day.
They know exactly what we all desire
so Amazon expands its empire
while the other Amazon becomes a pyre
day by day, day by day.
Now is the time to gather, take action, don't be distracted.
Now is the time to gather, take action, don't be distracted.
Now is the time to gather, take action, don't be distracted.
Now is the time to gather, take action, don't be distracted.
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5. |
Studying Metamorphosis
05:30
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Studying metamorphosis
in a foreign language.
Struggling for the words to stick.
They are pouring in,
but will I manage to retain them?
Something ancient and latent is
aching to escape...
and I cannot contain it,
I cannot contain it.
Studying metamorphosis
without assistance or a syllabus.
Juggling with boulders in my fist.
I feel a little bit like Sisyphus.
But I will calculate the distance
that it will take to cross this abyss.
And though it may be dismal
I will not allow myself to be dismissed.
If we evacuate the premises
I cannot promise they'll grant our simple wish.
Why do they call war civil?
I think we're in the middle of something cataclysmic.
Will you find asylum
when your family's divided?
When class has been dismissed?
When order is no more?
You'll be flanked by your phylum
and you'll fight right beside them.
Together you'll persist
'til the earth has been restored.
We've swallowed the poison
and held into the toxins
for too long and for too often
to identify the problem.
But somewhere down the line
people in power decided
to conquer and divide
which incited riots.
We are in danger
of remaining in a loop.
Though there's room to improve,
yes, I know we can break through
from this same container.
This world was designed
to divide and confine.
But I confide in the divine, outside.
In nature
there's an absolute truth
it cannot be removed.
But in order to engage
we must change our behavior
change our behavior
change our behavior
change our behavior.
But right now I'm just
studying metamorphosis.
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6. |
Modus Operandi
08:28
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First there was dirt
and then there was gravel,
now there is asphalt, when will it halt?
I want to feel the earth as I travel,
so may I ask, who is at fault?
They were afraid that the path would erode
so they began to pave, and ended up...
creating a road.
And I don't believe that all roads lead to roaming.
And I don't believe that all roads lead to roaming.
With your axle and wheels
you're encased in glass,
framed by steel with a dash of plastic.
You can make claims
that the terrain
it will change so fast.
But the long-term effects
on the environment
will be lasting and drastic.
Doesn't it make sense that it all connects?
The doe and the buck and their little fawns
have run out of luck, so they're mowing our lawns.
Then we call out the archer for deer departure
may his clear precision prevent more collisions.
Well, hungry Orion has plenty of clients
who fragment the land so the Belt may expand.
Though we have a complete fleet on the street that can slay.
On Mustang, on Taurus, on Windstar, on Civic!
Now Focus, Now Prius, Now Rabbit, Now Cricket!
The robin's cue to stir up a song
is thrown askew as our lamps burn on.
Its rhythms are foiled by our midnight oil.
Are we in the wrong to displace the dawn?
And all through the forest the avian chorus
strains their throats while sending out notes
because the rush of the phantom road
cuts through their airy abode.
Then the baleen's range, in the lowest of C's
is drowned by the dull lull of an oil ship.
It's hull drones as it drifts,
which adds to the din.
Then there's this whole 'nother shift,
where a species' speech has been seized.
Its channels are breeched,
its signals are lost,
its unable to reach.
Blocked and bleached and shocked and done,
one by one they succumb to the beach.
Did you notice that our current modus operandi
is effecting everything around us?
Casually, there are casualties.
I'm not trying to sound reprimanding
I'm just want to gain an understanding.
How do I process all of this progress
and what is at loss
from our land, our air, and our sea....
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7. |
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8. |
10972 Meters
08:01
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"Ah, well a day, what evil looks
had I from old to young.
Instead of the cross, the albatross,
around my neck is hung"
I used to marvel at planes as they passed overhead
Big-bellied baleen-shaped dreams
a balanced mesh of mechanics and of mystery.
It took me two decades to take flight…
but now I find myself feeling the cabin fever
burning up in my seat and secretly grieving over sea creatures….
at an altitude of 10,972 meters.
We sit up straight for supper, 50 in length and 8 in width.
I sigh a small complaint the second time I am provided with
a plastic fork and spoon and knife.
The crinkling symphony begins
as passengers unwrap their plastic packages…
and my mind flashes back
to the poor pelican with a water bottle
lodged inside it’s throat.
I read by 2030 9 out of 10 sea creatures will have swallowed
a piece of plastic.
I want to help them all but where do I begin?
What is the protocol that we can install, a call to action?
I want to help them all but where do I begin?
I want to help them all but where do I begin?
I think about my unborn children,
what kind of world will they inherit?
I think about the future generation,
I want to help them all but where do I begin?
I want to help them all but where do I begin?
I want to help them all but where do I begin?
I believe in the future and uncertain things...
I believe in the future.
So hold the space.
Because in nature,
there's an absolute truth,
it cannot be removed,
it's waiting there for us.
So hold the space.
Because in nature,
there's an absolute truth,
it cannot be removed,
but in order to engage
we must change our behavior,
we must change our behavior,
we must change our behavior...
But now I find myself feeling the cabin fever
burning up in my seat
and secretly grieving over sea creatures….
at an altitude of 10,972 meters.
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9. |
Hold the Space
03:10
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"Water water everywhere,
although the lake did shrink.
Water water everywhere,
but not a drop to drink"
Meet me by the lake, we need to pray.
Meet me by the lake, we need to pray.
Have we past the point of mitigating the effects?
The pipeline it is growing close,
so someone's got to be the one
to hold the space
in North Dakota.
To hold the space
in North Dakota.
And I know that it's growing cold
but someone's got to be the one
to hold the space
in North Dakota.
To hold the space
in North Dakota.
The cops are setting up sound cannons
north of Cannon Ball,
so we must pray
for our Water Protectors
to remain safe,
those brave defenders.
We must pray
for our Water Protectors
to remain safe
in North Dakota
So they can hold the space
in North Dakota.
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10. |
Sassafras Passage
00:42
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I went to the river
to retrieve this song
by the white water rapids
along the Sassafras Passage
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11. |
Slow Burning Journey
03:10
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Slow-burning journey, no need to hurry.
I acknowledge process, I trust in the abundance.
Slow-burning journey, no need to hurry.
I acknowledge process, I trust in the abundance.
There’s hundreds of years of wondrous things
that are waiting to be uncovered,
and maybe one of them might have an answer.
If we just adjust our rhythms,
we will notice, we will listen,
we can exist with them,
but we can’t exist without them.
There’s a sense of urgency,
but speed will only impede us
on this slow-burning journey.
But I’ve received word from the other world
that there is no need to worry.
I’ve received word from the other world
that there is no need to worry.
Yet I still feel so concerned.
But I believe in the future and uncertain things
and the ebb and flow of the web that nature weaves.
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12. |
Lined with Feathers
01:16
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Lined with feathers
and bound together with thyme.
Little swallow nest,
how did you survive the test
of this weather?
What a delicate find.
First thunderstorm of the season
and the forest receives
a diluvial feast.
Rejuvenated and appeased.
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13. |
Citronella Ritual
03:07
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Our Citronella ritual
was far-fetched from habitual
on the bridge and over the river.
We'd dab a little on our wrists
then grab each other for a kiss
to celebrate our mutual existence.
But since the winter's fully passed
we can return to the warm
forest floor at last.
It's waiting there for us.
It's waiting there for us.
It's waiting there for us.
It's waiting there for us.
The papillon pavilion
inside our tent was brilliant.
It made me grin,
to be the receiver
of irridescent offerings,
their presence was so softening
and then they'd drift off into the ether.
The skipper and the swallowtail, the copper they would drift then sail.
They're waiting there for us,
they're waiting there.
They're waiting there for us,
they're waiting there.
I was always fond of finding the first fern frond.
I knew it grew beyond
the froggy waters of the great swan pond.
And I knew that land through and through,
even in the fog.
And the most beautiful thought that will never get lost
is that it's waiting there for us.
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14. |
Grayson Highlands
03:42
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I must be patient until I reach
the Grayson Highlands
adjacent to the Appalachian Trail.
And as I’m climbing up that peak
I will be smiling, just to see
the landscape at a different kind of scale.
I'm searching for some clarity
it's a rarity these days.
But when I'm in nature
things become so spacious.
So I will sing with highest praise
to the Grayson Highlands.
I will sing with highest praise
to the Grayson Highlands.
I must be patient until I reach
the Grayson Highlands
adjacent to the Appalachian Trail.
And as I’m climbing up that peak
I will be silent, I will not speak.
For there’s plenty for my senses to unveil.
I’m looking for a remedy
a gentle cleanse, serenity,
something that is chaste.
And when I’m in nature
I receive its greatness and grace.
So I will take care of this place
and I will leave no trace
at the Grayson Highlands.
I’m just so grateful to be
at the Grayson Highlands.
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15. |
Out of Season
06:02
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The robins are flying over the Lyons
who quietly lie in eternal repose.
And a little lamb is folded over a stone just like a sphinx,
it’s quick to throw a riddle, though it never even blinks.
And a daffodil and a crocus are opening before us,
enchanted by the opus of a murmuration's chorus.
And the peepers are squeaking, out of season.
I worry tonight that they might be freezing.
It’s pleasant, but it’s quite absurd
These record-breaking temperatures.
We’re acquiescent, but perturbed,
it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
There is a boy, he cannot be reformed,
he’s kicking up a storm, he will destroy.
We can deploy our best defense,
but we can’t avoid the current evidence.
We are past the point of mitigating the effects.
We’ve crossed several thresholds of planetary boundaries.
It was all bound to happen, eventually.
A loss of biosphere integrity.
Stratospheric ozone depletion…
Ocean acidification…
and an introduction of novel entities…
Like organic pollutants and radioactivity....
We have passed the point of mitigating the effects...
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16. |
Mums and Marigolds
01:37
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Mums and marigolds
and plums in wooden cherry bowls
and the intertidal periwinkles
among the rocks when the water's low
all serve as variables
through fables, but not parables.
How they coincide is seasonal,
strung in the locks of the ebb and flow.
Everything is impermanent and connected,
everything is impermanent and connected,
everything is impermanent and connected,
everything is impermanent.
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17. |
Cypress
03:10
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Cypress, I spied you siphoning water from the creek.
First things first,
I can decipher your thirst.
I find it quite disconcerting
how you and the others are hurting.
This land is terse
but I will plan to be your nurse.
The summer, it is stifling
And the only kind of lightning
that is striking is from the heat.
Well, I will gladly greet
any sign of rain or relief.
We are riding out a cycle
You are fighting for survival,
But I know you’ll make it through
for you are not weak.
You are living proof
with all your roots
you cannot lose
You’ve been standing here for over a century.
I don’t doubt that you’ll make it out of this drought.
I don’t doubt that you’ll beat this bout of heat.
Everything will pass,
whether or not we allow it to.
Everything will pass...eventually.
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18. |
Of the Lake and Land
03:36
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Our roses had june bugs and Japanese beetles
eating at the petals as we're nibbled by mosquitoes.
Our roses needed water, hold the nozzle count to thirty,
and after a while, they shall not be so thirsty.
And with the garden hose,
make home-grown rainbows,
hold it up to sunlight and look for the
red, orange, and yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet,
red, orange, and yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
And we would go on walks around the lake,
and you would often stop and exclaim,
there's a snapping turtle and a snapping dragon,
and the latter has a pistol, pollen, and a stamen,
and you would explain and examine
and teach me all the names so I would have them.
And from the horizon a great heron came flying
it cut across the sky and dove into the island.
And I was amazed...
thank you for taking me to the lake from an early age.
Bestow your gifts
at the gathering
as crows cackle and sing
on the brinks of Lake Accotink.
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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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