My dear stranger, I am writing you today
To tell you how the rain walked down the street
A house above a pond, and a hook lifting away a space of ground
My dear stranger, writing words i think i know
in a hand that i cannot decipher
filling page on page and chapter after chapter
Nutmeg and chocolate, the warmth of your hand
The emcee played Liszt with no music
The cold and the dark, the rough and the hard,
The sound and the ensuing silence.
My dear stranger, do you carry the whole day?
All of this impermanence and presence?
The vast and spinning world is so much easier to hold inside your eyes
The world is wide and full of wonder
The light forgets to leave your eyes
You speak in corners, hallways, doorways
And I make maps
My dear stranger, do you let it slice you up
Or brace you like a fall in icy water?
Do you bear it on your back, or do you sweet talk your way up onto its own?
credits
from Heart Like A Lantern,
released March 10, 2021
Erik Ostrom played accordion
Kai Stewart played everything else
The Australian folk-pop singer tackles deconstruction, her Christian childhood, and sexuality on her infectious sophomore album. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 14, 2023