I was drawn to this poem because it addresses life, death and renewal on a number of levels. It is both personal and universal. It is both hopeful and heedful. I wanted the music to reflect all of these elements. The piece begins with a slow unfolding of the very first line of text. For the middle of the piece, I chose to use "take heart" as a call to also "take heed." At the end of the piece, the sopranos sing "take heart" in the form of a question. These two words became an anchor for the entire piece.