Dawnings
two sounds
By Nicholas Hooper
two sounds in the dark before dawn
the squeak of a small bird
the hoot of the owl or some unknown creature
then silence so calm, so dark
and in that moment
awareness of nature all around
above in the black sky
below in the wet grass
and just a shape of refuge
that looms out of shaded grey
and gives a sense of purpose
a direction to create
and there again the sounds
of late night, early dawn
as nature’s musicians
prepare for the morning chorus.
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About Dawnings:
“Every morning at around 5am I get up and go down to my studio. After a short meditation I write down whatever is in my head, giving myself fifteen minutes to do so. Then moving over to the piano (or a more portable instrument like my Ukulele when I'm away), I improvise and record a piece of music inspired by whatever words I just wrote. It is a great way of keeping both my writing and my composing going and I call these small creations Dawnings. They are mostly unedited, like sketches, so that they keep that fresh feeling of an early morning discovery.”
— Nick Hooper