Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 45 minutes ago

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many aches

Composer: Paul Novak
Poet: Parker Scheu
Performers: Pauline Tan, contralto; Florence Mak, piano

Commissioned by Lynx Project for the 2022-2023 Amplify Series.
Recorded live at Epiphany Center for the Arts, Chicago, IL.

If you are interested in performing this work, please contact Paul Novak at paulnovakmusic.com

"Reality"

Waves of light beam within
The sound of water dripping
I am here; content
Melting into my bed
Swallow me whole
Water dripping
Light waves beaming
Peace
Let me go
I’m suffocating
It’s too loud
I don’t want to get wet
My lamp is too bright
My front tooth aches
The hairs on my right arm sting
I taste strawberries
I'm stuck
This is agony
My senses deceive me
I just want peace.

- Parker Scheu