Tying my troubles with each shoe string,

I grab my sheep’s wool cover coat.

Stepping into a black early morning

of cold winds and silent surroundings.

I pick up the pace listening to

the quiet of the darkness and

the prayers within my consciousness.

I spend time paying attention to

the Christmas colorful lights flickering on

porches and roof tops, and lawns.

I continue to push myself,

checking my watch, and mileage.

My goal is soon to be complete ,

when I start to anticipate returning

back to a warm car.

All the while the darkness leaves

the dew of the morning on my shoulders.

CMM 2024

What are your feelings about eating meat?

I don’t …

However , I do not sit in judgement of anyone who does.

Waking to a full moon,

hung in the darkened sky.

crisp wind swings softly ,

as I gaze toward the silver eye.

Hues of silver cast in sight,

shadows of clouds pass by.

I stop, sit on cool green grass,

and gaze back upon the sky.

2023. CMM.

Music Perfomance, (all instruments ) Prof. Brian Kip Haaheim

Vocalist, Jon Matteson

Lyrics, Christine McNeill-Matteson

Original Score, Daniel Myer

“Joy’s Song”

“Joy’s Song”

I am happy …

What things give you energy?

In the still darkness

Of early morning fog

My faithful tree keeps me company

I listen for the subtle distant cricket

Crescendo breaking silence

The greenness calls me

Prayer and meditation

I will run and then my day.

If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?

F@#*k

       Running early in the morning just before dawn I was crossing over a familiar crosswalk.

                  I had just crossed the street where the white building is and the corner of the chapel 

              where my dear friend sally played piano.

                  I guess I startled it, as I approached it, this large furry animal had gone a quarter up 

               the tree after a squirrel 

                  It was huge.  It slid down the tree and growled loud.

                  I froze, and yelled, “Go away, go away,” loudly. Many years in Alaska with 

             bears common place, you are taught, do not run and scream as loudly as possible.

            It took off across the street and I stood there for a moment frozen, before I started  

             on.   The squirrel had gone all the way up the tree. 

           So, I slowly started to continue down the walk toward 12 th brick the old prison when I  

           heard something again.

          I turned around and the animal had crossed back over, and I thought omg what if he is  

          coming after me.

                  I stood there watching him in the distance, he paused and went into the weeds and  

         brush and down the hill near toward the railroad tracks.

                  They have turned the lights off early and making the streets dark as the days get  

         shorter.  

         We looked them up, and yes, they roam more at dusk and dawn and go after small  

         rodents 

                  And the one thing they said was DO NOT RUN.

                  I did not, but GOD I WAS SCARED.

                  His growl was something I will not forget for a while.  A sound is hard to describe.

              I have encountered many wild animals running in Panama and as far north as 

              Alaska, but none so threatening as I felt with this one.  I was glad it was so dark, 

             I do not think I would want to remember the way it looked.  The sound was enough. 

I am reading a book, entitled ; “Silence, (in the age of noise.)” Written by: Erline Kagge, he asked Mark Juncosa , “When I asked Mark Juncosa, one of the minds behind Musk’s space programme, whether he ever has the chance to think out the ideas that could revolutionize the rocket industry, he replied: “A normal work day at best contains eight hours of meetings, a few hours to respond to emails. It all blurs together. The only time to shut out the world is when I exercise, surf, take a shower or sit on the toilet. That’s when new solutions surface.”

Excerpt From
Silence
Erling Kagge & Becky L. Crook
https://books.apple.com/us/book/silence/id1217089376
This material may be protected by copyright.

To make my point, a song came to me taking a shower, it came so quickly, I could only step outside to grab a piece of paper and pen and write it down, wet and smeared ink , I later copied it to Microsoft word.

The song was , “Whispered Prayer,” The music to the song was Written and Produced by Christine McNeill-Matteson, Music Written and Performed by Kip Haaheim ,Vocals by Katie Bieber.

First published in “Pieces of Divine Masterpieces: Poet’s Voice, Agathos: An International Review of Humanities and Social Science. ”

To affirm, Mark Juncosa , (Chief Engineer at Space X, ) in his interview with Erline Kragge, “Silence “; polished and copyrighted by, Pantheon, a division of Random House, LLC, 2017.

I get it.” Bob Dylan gets it, as he explains in a 60 minute interview, most artist gets it.

Free your space, and let creativity come to you. Find your ‘silence.’

Below the song…

It is always nice to hear 

the thunder after a bright 

electrical streak across the sky.

My granddaddy use to say,

“Do not be afraid of the thunder, 

the danger just passed.” 

It is the surprise of the lightening

cutting across the dark sky 

Illuminating the silhouettes of trees, 

not seen in the darkness of 

the morning horizon. 

A rhythm of light and sound, 

an autumn storm of drum rolls 

and quiet interludes pause. 

Then the conductor of the heavens 

raise his sticks and once again,

the lightening magically cuts 

across in jagged patterns. 

Moments later the thunder 

drums out a rhythm of response 

and the storm rolls on.

CMM. 2025