A Cry of Flames (2023)

for Narrator, Viola, and Harp

Duration: 5 min

Texts

I

I rest my head against yours

And sink into the weight

Of a deep-drawn breath.

I search

In that breath

For the first sign

Of something

Not my own -

A subtle strain...

A spark...

A strike against flint...

And it arrives,

First as needled heat

Then a smoldering, brittle mass

In a tightened throat,

Like ashes of

A burning scream...

II

I have lost you

In the swell of smoke.

I hear you coughing

Across the bed

As your body

Burns down,

Becomes condensed

Into the form

Of a child -

A single coal

Emitting a cry of flames.

III

The smoke disperses.

We find ourselves.

We breathe together,

Each breath

Ablaze in streaks

Of welcome warmth,

Free to be reshaped

Each moment

In one-thousand ways.

Performances

Premiere: 4/2024 - Loop38; Lone Star College CyFair