Nesting Dolls by Khoma Brut We find our hero handing out pamphlets in the central square. The next day, two men in military uniforms slide under her door a picture of her handing out pamphlets in the square with a simple note written across it in red ink, “second warning.” She’s continued to meet with…

Starlight by Khoma Brut The story of Starlight opens with a traveler lying in a reclining position on an airplane reflecting on how he found his place, his home, and the never-ending cycle of life and rebirth. After landing on an island in the Caribbean, he watches the sunset as he has dinner. He goes…

Light in the Sun by Khoma Brut Improvisation, indeterminacy in music, means that the audience hears what the musician plays at the same time as the musician, who is also part of the audience. Chapel Room follows a very simple chord progression of I to IV, two chords that move into one another easily. This…

La Menta Limón by Khoma Brut The improvisation of the Carries Fire sessions often starts with a motif created on the spot. This one, however, contains a musical motif that dates back at least to the Renaissance, and is probably much older based on its simplicity. It’s the motif in “Hit the Road Jack,” which…

Out of Country by Khoma Brut There is something bittersweet about being a stranger in a strange land, being out of country. Travel and exploration feel exciting, falling headlong into the unknown like the holy fool, a sense of timelessness, being slightly out of place. Out of Country evokes this paradox of experience, the joy…

As a young adolescent, I remember sitting at the foot of my bed and writing in an early journal, “I yearn to be a poet.” These first visions of who I wanted to be in the world fueled a long love affair with poetry and language. I’ve continued to write, but haven’t thought of myself…

On the bus from Guatemala City to Lake Atitlan, we had a stopover in Antigua. As I walked around I noticed a man with a shirt that read, “We’re lost boys,” each word stacked on the next, so it read as a bit of a koan to me. Was it a declaration of being lost,…