Dawnings
Can we listen?
By Nicholas Hooper
Blanking out tinnitus
Blanking out hums
Blanking out traffic noise
Can we listen?
Blanking out piped music
Blanking out next door’s favourite tunes
Blanking out the boom of a bass
Can we listen?
Sticking on the headphones
Sticking on the car radio
Sticking on the music loud
Can we listen?
Driving out the thoughts
Driving out the fear
Driving out the nuisances
Can we listen?
Stop now and listen to the music you have chosen
Stop now and listen to the sounds around you
Stop now and listen to crunch of feet as you walk,
the birdsong, the wind, the rain,
the murmur of a stream, the waves of the sea
and use your ears.
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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