Here's a short poem by Robert Frost that I made into a song and sang this month. Like the bird song Frost hears in his poem, it's in a minor key.

The Parlando Project takes various words (mostly literary poetry) and combines them with original music in differing styles. We've done over 850 of these combinaitons, and you can hear any of them and read about our encounters with the words at our blog and archives located at frankhudson.org

It's been more than a week since I could begin to think of putting out more work on this Project. As I continue, this note is going to read like propaganda, but I'm not much for that, and as best as I can this is an attempt at a objective summary. Our home state of Minnesota is currently subject to a intentionally vindictive incursion by the secretive armed forces of our mad and illtempered ruler, who says this is retribution. To a significent degree, no one knows who is being taken out of their homes, cars, schools, workplaces, or their footsteps. The armed forces generally don't say, but the point is to make a great many feel they could be next, particularly if they object to this, since that's being a "violent agitator." These so called agitators are often standing on sidewalks and streetcorners in their own neighborhoods, on their own blocks, even on their own doorsteps, or they are at their own shopping sites, schools, or workplaces, armed with but cell phone cameras and whistles to call others similarly "armed" to protect them (somewhat) from the masked squads. Some step forward to try to get the names of those who are being detained (the secretive authorities do not release those names) and getting near enough to hear that risks their own detention. Their cameras minimize, but do not eliminate the vindictive street beat-downs and such that would otherwise occur.

These encounters are not prayer circles. Many observing this are angry and disgusted and they are shouting out shames and curses. 

Today song is going to seem topical. It's not. It was written and performed in 2014 by the LYL Band, and the song's refrain is a statement made by 19th century American Abolitionist Wendell Phillips. Phillips was asked why he aways had to be so fiery in denouncing the enslavers and slave catchers of his time. Phillips response was much-loved by a former U S Senator from Minnesota, Paul Wellstone. Phillips replied: "Yes, I'm on fire, because I have mountains of ice to melt!"

So, not a topical song. For historical interest only.

The Parlando Project takes various words (usually literary poetry) and combines them with original music in differing styles. We've done over 850 of these combinations, and you can hear any of them and read about our encounters with the words at our blog and archives located at frankhudson.org

This hiking poem by Vachel Lindsay seems appropriate for January as many look back and foreward at the beginning of the year, and in the Parlando manner I've made it into a song.

The Parlando Project takes various words (mostly literary poetry) and combines them with original music in differing styles. We've done over 850 of these combinaitons, and you can hear any of them and read about our encounters with the words at our blog and archives located at frankhudson.org

This is a song I made for the new year from a poem written on another New Year's Day, in 1927, by my great-great-grandmother for her 61st wedding anniversary to her husband David Hudson. The couple met during the American Civil War, and the song is that story.

I plan to write more about those poeple, and the poem now song. soon at the Parlando Project blog.

The Parlando Project takes various words (mostly literary poetry) and combines them with original music in differing styles. We've done over 850 of these combinaitons, and you can hear any of them and read about our encounters with the words at our blog and archives located at frankhudson.org