reflected lent

(images from Lent 2013's daily writing splurge)

the first sunday of lent

It is Lent again, and as always for Lent I give up notwriting, and I write something everyday. Writing a sentence still counts, as does editing existing work or writing the music for some existing lyrics, though a whole song is advisable, or a story, or a paragraph of a story / verse of a song.

This is my Lent diary so far. When I'm a bit more comfortable with these I will put some listenable recordings up.

LENT 2013

11/2
CLEAN MONDAY

Songs written with Fellswoop : THE HOME SONG, DIVOT IN YOUR HEART

darling whenever
the wind shakes the heather

->

a hole in the pavement trips you up

12/2
SHROVE TUESDAY

Wrote melody and guitar part for WISHING WELL (lyrics I wrote a few days earlier, then workingtitled DEATH BY DROWNING)

the interlocking web of teardrops

13/2
ASH WEDNESDAY

Wrote a song, 'CHARM'; just the lyrics and a vague sense of the melody

for sinners we’re beginners
but we’ll learn quickly

14/2
FEAST OF ST VALENTINE
Wrote a song, 'BE MY VALENTINE MRS MILESAWAY'

a little time in space

15/2

a meteorite explodes in Russia

recorded / wrote music for BE MY VALENTINE MRS MILESAWAY

16/2

mixed messages from the universe

17/2
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

wrote melody for / recorded (accapella) CHARM - renamed it SINNERS

then, later, wrote the guitar part - just realised it's quite similar to the melody for the Valentine song - that is the danger of Lent, especially when you don't have access to instruments...

wrote two verses, something as yet unnamed

inkblots face off blank stares

=
✈ & ✈ & ✈

the feast of st patrick (bugbites & beestings)

so, I have indeed been writing everyday for lent, though of course not blogging. not all of it has been songs, though there have been a couple here and there. something longer has emerged as well, among the short stories.

anyway, for the first Feast Day of Lent, the Feast of St Patrick (which was actually yesterday), here is a new song. I am very ill right now, my voice will tell you as much, so I may try to record this again when this is not so clearly the case: but here is
Bugbites and beestings by Ben Osborn

next week perhaps I can branch out into non-fiction.

the early Christians were an interesting bunch, oscillating between brutal tribalism and a kind of proto-communism of the soul... you might say... so here is St Patrick's Prayer:

I bind to myself today The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity: I believe the Trinity in the Unity The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism, The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial, The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension, The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.

I bind to myself today The virtue of the love of seraphim, In the obedience of angels, In the hope of resurrection unto reward, In prayers of Patriarchs, In predictions of Prophets, In preaching of Apostles, In faith of Confessors, In purity of holy Virgins, In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today The power of Heaven, The light of the sun, The brightness of the moon, The splendour of fire, The flashing of lightning, The swiftness of wind, The depth of sea, The stability of earth, The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today God's Power to guide me, God's Might to uphold me, God's Wisdom to teach me, God's Eye to watch over me, God's Ear to hear me, God's Word to give me speech, God's Hand to guide me, God's Way to lie before me, God's Shield to shelter me, God's Host to secure me, Against the snares of demons, Against the seductions of vices.

the first yesterday of lent. 'The Monster'

Ash Wednesday

as per 2009, I'm giving up non-writing for Lent.

here's today's effort; a song for a friend:
Don't go off the radar by Ben Osborn
Don't Go Off The Radar

The smartest thing I
did in my whole life
was to keep on swimming
when I couldn't see the other side.