For SSAA choir with piano and optional guitar. (Also available for SATB or TTBB).
From the composer: “Written as a statement of support for, and allyship with, our Black brothers and sisters (as well as all people of color). Too often, in any aspect of life, we explain away other people’s experiences instead of seeking to understand experiences that differ from our own; we’re so busy talking about our own viewpoints that we fail to listen to the voices we most need to hear. I asked Tony Silvestri to write a text called let me listen that could function as a personal statement from me to people I need to listen to- especially to my friends of color. This the text that resulted- words that speak powerfully for any situation where we need to listen to those who have been marginalized or mistreated, not heard or believed.”
let me listen
We come from different places,
You and I,
on different paths we journey;
let me walk beside you for a while –
let me listen.
So briefly do our lonely paths converge,
Yours and mine,
along this human journey;
what hollow loss to never hear your song –
let me listen.
Let me listen,
let me listen as you tell your story:
Your triumphs and your tears,
Your trials and your fears.
Your story never has been mine to tell –
so let me listen.
And if a silence is your choice to keep,
then I will keep it with you;
as long as we walk together,
You and I,
I will listen.
Too long you’ve waited, too long,
to share your journey, your song –
so let me listen.
– Charles Anthony Silvestri, 2022