Khoral Kathy Poem by Robert Charles Howard

for my choral mentor, Kathryn Smith Bowers
in celebration of her 60th birthday

Ah yes dearest Kathryn –
Like Dorothy sprung from Kansas soil
always a frequent flyer
even without a plane.

She has a simple plan
to seize the core of a song:
If you wish to tap the essence
of why a Hungarian sings
It’s easy:
just pack your bags and go
to where his song was born.

What makes a motet Scandanavian
or Deutsch or Italiano?
Piece of cake:
just book your flight
to hear the music ring
in concert halls and cathedral naves
and survey the hills with a glass
of the local grape in hand.

And what makes a dapper engineer
suddenly find his heart
wedged high in his throat?
Nothing simpler:
just compose a Christmas hymn
with 'David' inscribed on its title page.

So now Kathy books flights for two
with a man who was born to fly
and returns to show young singers
how to soar to lands across the seas
even without a plane.

February 1, 2008