Photo by Cheney Orr for Reuters, 4.7.26, Washington, D.C. Metro I created two versions of a song based on a Facebook post by Stacey Patton about a highly publicized photo taken by Cheney Orr on 4 July 2026 in Washington, DC. Here's Stacey's post followed by the song lyrics and links to both songs. I … Continue reading Face Uncovered
Songs
A New Declaration of Independence from Tyranny
Image generated by Gemini based on the text. On the occasion of US Independence Day and the celebration of the semiquincentennial, here's a repost of a Substack post by Andy Borowitz, a US writer, comedian, satirist, and actor. (Link below.) Andy's understated comment: Good morning, my friends. Sorry there were no jokes in this post, but … Continue reading A New Declaration of Independence from Tyranny
Sanaa’s Story
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UL9Bril7OLo Take a minute to watch this video of Sanaa Alsaidi walking with her son through the rubble that's Gaza. She tells the story of everyone there who is enduring the hell on earth that is Israel's slow-motion genocide. Look at the collapsed buildings and rubble and remember who did this. Also, remember those countries … Continue reading Sanaa’s Story
Voices That Remain by Shams Mazen Rajab
Congratulations to Shams Mazen Rajab, a Palestinian writer and poet from Gaza, on the publication of her poetry collection, Voices That Remain. Please consider purchasing a copy. Written during war and displacement, the collection gives voice to memory, loss, resilience, and hope. These poems are not only verses, but a testimony to what remains when … Continue reading Voices That Remain by Shams Mazen Rajab
Stay a Little While (Elegy for a Ginger Cat)
This is very much what the scene looked like. This image, created by Gemini based on my prompt, is preferable to the photo I have of the ginger cat's broken body and the white cat a short distance away. On my way home on a recent Sunday, I saw a white cat lying in the … Continue reading Stay a Little While (Elegy for a Ginger Cat)
When the Wind Remembers
Click on the image to listen to these wind chimes. On a lighter note, I was inspired to create a song about some wind chimes that were a very special gift from someone who passed in the autumn of 2009. I think of her and her family every time I hear them singing. You are … Continue reading When the Wind Remembers
White Wings at Dawn
A LinkedIn contact who lives in Gaza posted this a few days ago about her nephew, Ahmed, who was killed by the IOF. The night before stealing him from the world, he was playing with my nieces and nephews, his laughter echoing through the room despite the relentless bombing outside. Ahmed, my nephew, didn’t know … Continue reading White Wings at Dawn
Holy Sonnets: Death, Be Not Proud
The Dawn of the Defeated King (Source: Gemini) I usually create songs with AI assistance whenever the spirit moves me. Such is the case with this musical interpretation of this famous fourteen-line poem by English poet John Donne (1572-1631), whose wife Anne More is a paternal cousin. Death Be Not Proud (1609) is often referred … Continue reading Holy Sonnets: Death, Be Not Proud
Preface in Prose: Benjamin Fondane Speaks to Us from the Grave
Grégoire Michonze (Michonznic) (1902-1982), Portrait of the Poet Benjamin Fondane (1898, Jassy-1944, Auschwitz-Birkenau), Paris, c.1943 Remember only that I was innocentand that, like all of you, mortals of this day,I had, I too had a face markedby rage, by pity and joy,an ordinary human face! Those are animals, they have no right to exist. I’m … Continue reading Preface in Prose: Benjamin Fondane Speaks to Us from the Grave
Remember Hind Rajab
Here are two versions of a song I created with AI assistance and human input about Hind Rajab (2018-2024): Butterfly in the Dust - A Song for Hind Rajab. There are links to some related articles in the description. Below is an Arabic translation. We will never forget. Peace & Justice, MAA Version 1 https://youtu.be/IrMwsMDlYj0?si=mCfjkjN28ar7XSIJ … Continue reading Remember Hind Rajab
An International Educator in Vietnam 
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