"Reflections On A Poem" genre: Mood Music
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	©1999 by Michael SHields (ASCAP) There are 7 key changes in this piece, to reflect the sudden changes we go through in our lifetime, sometimes unexplainable, sometimes as a result of decisions we make. My son in law died from cancer, and one of my daughters wrote a poem for him. If you wish to read it, its shown in the Song Lyrics link
	MP3.com CD: April & Other Songs - buy it! CD: April & Other Songs   Label: Michael Shields Productions Credits: ©1999 Composed & performed by Michael Shields (ASCAP)
	Story Behind the Song 2 years ago my son-in-law died after a long battle with cancer.I wrote INTERCESSION after having spent Super Bowl Sunday with him. We didn't watch the game and to this day I don't know which team won. Other things become very important when faced with imminent death. I wrote the music when I got home that night.I was trying to express my prayers for him. About two weeks later,the night before he died, all of my children gathered around him to say goodbye. One of my younger daughters, Claudia, held his hand and read a poem she had written to him. A few days after the funeral I was rereading her poem, and before I could finish, I was overwhelmed with a sense of how really special he had been.REFLECTIONS ON A POEM is written in memory of the extraordinary man who was part of our lives for much too short a time - Howard Lee Plenn. I wish to honor him. (If you wish to read the poem, see the song lyrics.) Lyrics This is the poem Claudia wrote for Howard "Do you mind?" Can I tell you a secret? Feel this. I’m holding your hand. With life sketched in between the lines, You tell me a story with my eyes closed, And my heart open-wide, While your fingers tangle with mine. I will see you when I am sleeping, Or during a long endless day When the pink sunset lasts for years, And the stars finally come out To wink at, what I’ve decided, is The beauty of your soul. I hear a voice sing of wisdom And I see your face as you tell the story of life, And of living, And of forgiving. I see you on Christmas morning screaming your heart out With such passion, Such pleading. And I see you now, Not just Christmas mornings, Or Thanksgiving mornings, Or days when you’d tell us of things we’d never thought to hear. I will see you in the moonlight and in the sunshine, So beautiful, So bright. And you’d make what seemed to be the smallest things so much bigger, So brilliant, And so amazing. Just like you. So do you mind? If I hold your hand forever- So that I can never let go of anything as wonderful as your stories and your love? Do you mind if I never forget your voice, Or the way you would smile just seeing me feel so good inside? Can I tell you a secret? Thank you. In loving memory of Howie, With Eternal Love, Claudia Mary Shields 2-10-99

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