Meditation 014 | Late Roses

Thank you for being here for the 14th installment of this newsletter. Here in the Northwest, a few late-blooming roses linger as the summer, reluctantly, takes its leave.

🎵 This month’s piece is in F major.¹ I’ve been playing around with this piano part for years, so, I’m really thrilled to finally get to share it with you here. You’ll also hear some field recordings I took in a windy lakeside meadow.

📷 I took this month’s photo on a walk earlier this week.² Yes, I went portrait mode on some roses — why not?

I invite you to sit with this song, photo, and poem and make them a small part of your day, whether that’s your morning ritual, afternoon break, or your evening wind-down.

As always, if you feel like it, let me know what you think in the comments. I’d love to hear from you. Thank you again for being here.

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A Poem

Fall Song

by Joy Harjo

It is a dark fall day.
The earth is slightly damp with rain.
I hear a jay.
The cry is blue.
I have found you in the story again.
Is there another word for ‘‘divine’’?
I need a song that will keep sky open in my mind.
If I think behind me, I might break.
If I think forward, I lose now.
Forever will be a day like this
Strung perfectly on the necklace of days.
Slightly overcast
Yellow leaves
Your jacket hanging in the hallway
Next to mine.

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Currently

Listening to

• I Follow Rivers by Marika Hackman³ (Listen)

  • Reminder: I’m putting all the songs shared in the newsletter into this Spotify playlist (which is basically just a list of my favorite songs)

Reading

• Red Sorghum by Mo Yan (Powell’s)

  • So far: Intense and graphic, but beautiful.

Sharing

• A new release! I’m excited to be teaming up again with label Sonder House to release another couple of tracks. The first comes out later this month, on 10/28.

• A bonus piece of music! I had the opportunity to write a song to accompany the first chapter of Elle Griffin's wonderful new utopian novel, Oblivion, which she's serializing in her wonderful newsletter. I wrote a very synth-centric / ethereal track. Check it out / give it a listen here:

Oblivion, Chapter 1

• Oh, and some of you have sent me some actual mail! What an unexpected but delightful surprise. Keep it coming! Address in the footer below.

1. Late Roses in F major / Recorded in Logic Pro / Written and produced by Fog Chaser

2. Late Roses / iPhone

3. This is a cover of a song originally written and recorded by Lykke Li, which is also great.