'Still waiting' by Joel Thompson and Gene Scheer
Sasha Cooke, Mezzo-Soprano
Kirill Kuzmin, Piano
Shriver Hall Concert Series, John Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD March 6, 2022
Inspired by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec 14, 2012
Written in 2020 and posted on Dec 14, 2022
I heard my daughter crying.
I went to her.
Honey bunny, that’s just a shadow on the wall.
No need to be afraid.
I am here. Go to sleep.
I am not going anywhere.
I knew what to do.
Hmmmm.
And everything was ok.
The first time she got on the school bus.
She wouldn’t let go of my hand.
So, I took the barrette out of my hair
And placed it in her hand.
She held it tightly as she climbed into the bus.
I knew what to do
Hmmmm
And everything was ok.
Five weeks ago, I was at work.
I didn’t see the text come in.
But my phone kept vibrating in my bag.
My daughter
“There’s a shooter in the school.”
“I’m locked in the gym.”
“I’m ok.
We’re evacuating.
I love you.”
Is this part of being a mother now?
Guns in the cafeteria?
I took the barrette out of my hair,
As I’d done so many years before,
And held it tightly in my hand.
Still waiting for the fear to fade.
Music by Joel Thompson
Text by Gene Scheer