humanist, religious, sacred, living poet, accompanied, piano, ecstatic music
when i look at any child
it is easy to believe in god
when i look at most adults
it is impossible to believe in god
and then there is you
god, yes, there is you
(P. L. Thomas)
Too often composers rely on public domain poetry when choosing text. I too am guilty of this trend, and often find I feel disconnected from the meaning in the words when the poet is long dead. I was introduced to the poetry of Paul L. Thomas an immediately devoured every poem of his I could find. The simplicity of “god” struck me as incredibly thoughtful. The simple profundity of this short poem encourages multiple interpretations. I encourage listeners and performers to take whatever meaning they choose from this text and its setting. Paul L. Thomas is a poet and professor of education at Furman University in South Carolina. More of his poetry can be found at plthomasselectedpoetry.wordpress.com
