Dream the Impossible
Dream the Impossible began with a prompt from my songwriting group, and was completed to meet a deadline. Originally written on…
Before We Fly
The juxtaposition of a caterpillar crawling and leaves falling viewed in the context of what was happening in my own life at the time inspired Before We Fly. It came into being as a result of my encounter with a caterpillar crossing in front of me as I walked along a path that encircled a pond, It was early autumn, and while the caterpillar was heading toward the water, leaves were falling from the trees.
Words and music by Betsy Gonwa © 2015
From the corner of my eye, I see a caterpillar crawling,
watch it crawl on by and stop and sigh, and wonder
If while he’s eating and exploring,
does he know he’ll be transforming soon into a butterfly?
That his crawling days are numbered?
And in this moment, it’s clear. It came to me while sitting here
We must die to keep on living.
Before we fly, we’ve got to crawl, or if we’re leaves, we’ve got to fall.
Each end becomes a new beginning
One day his striped and fuzzy back will be wings orange and black
against a wide blue sky, drying as they flutter.
And I don’t think it’s strange. I just accept that he will change.
That a different life awaits him in his future.
And in this moment, it’s clear. It came to me while sitting here
We must die to keep on living.
Before we fly, we’ve got to crawl, or if we’re leaves, we’ve got to fall.
Each end becomes a new beginning
Like the leaves in fall, the caterpillar crawls upon its belly living ‘til it dies
Yes, disappears forever.
So am I a living creature, not a stationary fixture
Does each me inside become my own successor?
For in that moment it was clear. And it’s still true now and here.
We must die to keep on living.
Before we fly, we’ve got to crawl, or if we’re leaves, we’ve got to fall.
Each end becomes a new beginning.
So now when I see a caterpillar crawling on its belly, I still stop and sigh
And question why, and wonder.
With the caterpillar guiding, I no longer can deny that death is part of life,
that fall will follow summer.
Just a moment in time of a tiny creature’s life
Showed me a whole new way of living
Before we fly, we’ve got to crawl, or if we’re leaves we’ve got to fall
Each end becomes a new beginning
Each end becomes a new beginning.
Do you ever watch a caterpillar as it crawls and do you think about its life,
And stop, and sigh, and wonder . . .
