Alone at 7:03 and the Stillness of the Lake

for full orchestra

picc.2.3(3= E. Hn.).2.bcl.2.cbn – 4.3.3.1 – timp + 3 perc.hp.pf/cel – strings

I was camping at Leelanau State Park in the spring, and on the final day I happened to get up at 7:03. My campsite was about twenty feet away from Lake Michigan, and at this early in the morning, the lake was completely still. It caused me to think about how extraordinary it is that an endlessly massive body of water could be perfectly still, and how much a single rock skipped on the surface can affect the stillness of the lake. It made me think about how one single thought can fester in one's mind and create an inescapable spiral. With this on my mind, I took to writing a poem to capture these thoughts:

Alone at 7:03 and the stillness of the lake 
Awake before the birds
Awake before the waves
Awake before the wind

Alone at 7:03 and the water heals my cuts 
Cuts from the stinging emptiness
Cuts from the screaming silence
Alone with just my thought
I dare not make a sound,
Lest a whisper become a scream 
A scream of anguish
A scream of desperation

Alone with just the sun
It's warmth comforting, soothing
A reminder of what was when I am not alone Illuminating your face in its golden light

Alone at 7:03 and I hold a stone
Casting it into the lake it travels
Skimming the surface, feeling the air
Before finally falling and settling at the bottom

Alone at 7:03 and a hand touches mine 
Giving reassurance
Giving compassion
Giving love
Alone at 7:03 and the stillness of the lake Deafens

Alone