Dawnings
Beneath the smile
By Nicholas Hooper
Beneath the smile
There is another story.
A fear so big
we cannot feel it.
Our lovely car,
our stalwart van
leaks poison into the air,
and all around us
the world gets warmer.
There’s always an excuse.
There’s always a reason.
There’s always a way out.
There’s always nitrogen.
But is there a quieter way?
A slowing down?
A using less?
Making less?
Can we pause and look
beneath our smiles?
Can we see and feel
the fear that surrounds us?
Live with unease
knowing it’s there.
Live with hope,
but please, please
don’t deny!
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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