Snowflake Story

            Many of my songs I simply sat down to write, while others were created out of emotional revelation, Snowflake Story is one of these songs.  As I slowly discover more about myself I learn more about how I process life.  I wrote this song in order to process, but also to reflect on certain events in my past.  The act of writing lyrics in itself is a new thing for me with this album, but it is fun to bring you all along with me as I explore and grow my own poetic style. 

            Within the album, this particular song represents the individual events and challenges one might face on their adventure.  How do you react and respond to pain and troubles?  I have found that this is a crucial thing to understand and learn, especially when it affects the relationships with the people around you.  Through this song I wanted to express how hope should, and can, be found in any circumstance, even the tough ones.  It may take some time, but getting up and continuing the journey is worth it.

Once upon a while ago,

I found you in a pile of snow.

You turned to me as if to say,

Why would you look at me that way?

I’d much rather simply just fall on the ice,

Instead I quite painfully fell for you twice.

You made it as clear as my frost bitten toes,

That a friendship with you is as far as it goes.

Can’t we still be friends who do,

All the things that we used to?

As the snow began to melt,

My perfect picture that I had felt,

Would soon come true alone with you,

Now completely melted too.

What a beautiful snowflake that you seem to be,

Now I know that this snowflake was not meant for me.

As we move on from here let us please remain friends,

So our friendship together will be far from its end.

Can’t we still be friends who do,

All the things that we used to?

You may know, that

I’m not used to the snow.

Black Sky

            “What color is your sky?” was one of the first questions I was asked when I came to college.  Having moved in a week early for MuKappa (Missionary Kid) orientation, my little group of wide-eyed freshmen was in the middle of the usual campus tour.  Oddly enough, it was at the career services office where the man in charge of the office gave an example of what they might ask students who came in for advising help.  “What color is your sky?” he asked me, seemingly out of the blue.  It knocked me out of my daydream and caused me to quickly think of an answer.  Blue is the actual color of the sky, I thought to myself, but I figured that wasn’t exactly what he was looking for.  So naturally I went for the second most commonly known color of the sky. “Black” I replied confidently, not really thinking of the negative connotations the color may have for some people.  With a somewhat predictably astonished and worried reaction, the man along with most the room were taken aback.  However, in my mind I began to rationalize myself.  The sky is black at night, so logically why couldn’t my sky be black.  I grew up in a predominantly black population, so I was also more used to seeing black people.  And finally, as I thought back to all the times I looked up into the sky I remembered my favorite moments.  Many times I enjoyed looking at interesting clouds, or sunsets.  But most of all I enjoyed peering into the vast space beyond the clouds.  I loved looking up at space, the longer you stare the more stars you see.

            Black Sky is the first song on my album and serves as the call to adventure.  For me, it represents the start of my college career, with so many hopes and dreams for the future.  It’s the track that plays as you look to the sky, determine a dream, look back down, and start on your journey towards that dream.