Light of Late November (from A Calendar of Light) describes in vivid detail the simple beauty of an autumn evening. This piece was premiered by The Singers - Minnesota Choral Artists (Matthew Culloton, director).

 

Purchase this piece for performance through Graphite Marketplace.

 

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PRAISE SONG

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Praise the light of late November, 
the thin sunlight that goes deep in the bones.
Praise the crows chattering in the oak trees;
though they are clothed in night, they do not 
despair. Praise what little there’s left: 
the small boats of milkweed pods, husks, hulls, 
shells, the architecture of trees. Praise the meadow
of dried weeds: yarrow, goldenrod, chicory,
the remains of summer. Praise the blue sky
that hasn’t cracked yet. Praise the sun slipping down
behind the beechnuts, praise the quilt of leaves
that covers the grass: Scarlet Oak, Sweet Gum,
Sugar Maple. Though darkness gathers, praise our crazy
fallen world; it’s all we have, and it’s never enough.

 

—Barbara Crooker