Tracks by a

Field of Zinnias

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Program Note

This is a piece that attempts to evoke a memory of mine from a few years ago while in High School. Over the summer, my friend, Tyler H., had helped me get a part time job working in a zinnia field; we would cut the flowers and arrange them in a vase that would be delivered to various nursing homes. These vases would then be used to decorate the eating spaces for the residents.

Looking back, it was beautiful. Surrounded by flowers for a few hours a day, knowing they would be brightening up someone’s day not soon after. The tranquility of those moments were broken only by our laughter and conversations. For the most part.

It just so happens that by this zinnia field there are train tracks. They laid there, always threatening to harbor in a train to dash the sounds of nature aside.

Only once did a train actually go by while I was out there. However, it wasn't a moment of noise and mechanical interruptions. Instead, it was two worlds blending for just a moment.

And it was nice.