meditation

commissioned by The Phoenix Concerts under the Phoenix Commissions

to David Del Tredici

Mark Statman

I met the poet Mark Statman during my first residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in 2007, and we formed an instant bond. In 2008, I composed echoes, a song cycle for soprano and piano, on six of Mark’s poems, and since then I’ve been looking for more opportunities to set his poetry. “meditation” had been on my radar since I first read it while sitting in Mark’s studio at the colony. It’s short, funny, and just a little dirty.

meditation

I was walking
on 7th Avenue in Brooklyn
bright fall sky
bright afternoon
I passed
a young woman
wearing a black t-shirt
with white letters
they read:
Don’t be a pussy
Eat one