Sun in your tomatoes,
wind in the yellow lilies,
bees secure their futures,
how does the earth turn
but by gravity?

How certain I am
of loving you, papa,
and how certain,
like the bee, of leaving.

No, what do I know
of bees' desires?
What do I know of wind?
Except it carries me
out the narrow door,
defying gravity,
defying gravity.

-Athena Kildegaard
Text commissioned by the composer

Performers: Shruthi Rajasekar (soprano), Jessica Arnold (piano). Recorded live by Andrés Villalta in Taplin Auditorium, May 2018

Three Songs From Athena: II. Leaving Home (2018)

Indian-American composer & vocalist. Please visit my website (www.shruthirajasekar.com) and contact me at shruthirmusic@gmail.com