Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s painting “The Peasants’ Churchyard” (1885) and Kayleen Asbo’s piano composition “Old Tower”
Can you hear them, too,
the bells that don’t ring
in the missing steeple
of the ruined church?
Can you hear them, the stifled
sobs of the mothers
not kneeling beside
the old graves?
And the crows as they circle
the crumbling tower,
can you make out their dissonant
caws?
I hear them, the bells,
like a summoning.
Come listen, they say.
Come stand in this field
until you can hear
the long-silenced shouts
of the men who once tilled here,
the men who laid bricks.
Come stand here and listen
’til even the shadows
sing,
listen until
you can hear yourself
listening.
*
My dear friend composer/pianist/historian Kayleen Asbo and I want to offer you the video recording of our hour-long conversation about Vincent Van Gogh, loss and The Art of Creative Collaboration– click here.This project has been such an important part for each of us in holding on to hope and beauty during a dark and challenging time. If it speaks to a part of your own aching soul and you want to share it, you have our blessing to forward it to whomever you wish.
If you want to offer a donation in support of our work so that we can professionally record our project in both audio and video format, click here for our Go Fund Me account.
Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
970-729-1838wordwoman.com
Watch my TEDx talk The Art of Changing Metaphors: TEDX Rosemerry Trommer