I saw old Autumn in the misty morn
stand shadowless like silence, listening to silence.
~ Thomas Hood, 1799
We did not ask for this room or
this music; we were invited in.
Therefore, because the dark
surrounds us, let us turn our
faces toward the light. Let us
endure hardship to be grateful
for plenty...We did not ask for
this room or this music. But
because we are here, let us
dance.