Tree of Life

If you are a regular to my plog (poetry blog), then you know that I've been writing out and posting my original songs based on the poetry of Emily Dickinson.  I have completed two of them so far:

     * The Sun Just Touched the Monring  -- HERE
     * Adrift! A little boat adrift! -- HERE

Today I started working on a song based on a poem by E. E. Cummings, "when god lets my body be."  The portion of the song I have ready is posted below, and I will update the post when I have more ready.

Here is the poem by Cummings:


​when god lets my body be
 
from each brave eye shall sprout a tree
fruit that dangles therefrom
 
the purpled world will dance upon
between my lips which did sing
 
a rose shall beget the spring
that maidens whom passion wastes
 
will lay between their little breasts
my strong fingers beneath the snow
 
into strenuous birds shall go
my love walking in the grass
 
their wings will touch with her face
and all the while shall my heart be
 
with the bulge and nuzzle of the sea 

Here is how I changed the poem to create the lyrics:

When god lets my body be
When god lets my body be
From each brave eye shall sprout,
     shall sprout a tree
When god lets my body be
 
When god lets my body be
A rose shall beget the spring
That maidens whom passion wastes
Will lay between their breasts
When god lets my body be
Lets my body be
When god lets my body be
 
My strong fingers beneath the snow
Into strenuous birds shall go
My love walking in the grass
Their wings will touch with her face
Touch with her face
 
When god lets my body be
When god lets my body be
My heart shall be
Forever with the sea
When god lets my body be
Lets my body be
When god lets my body be.

Here is what I have ready so far (click the pages to enlarge):

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