A study of history reveals that a society can be in ruins before the ruins appear.

THE AFTERWORLD For speaking solo percussionist text and music by Hugh Levick performed by Nick Terry, February 2019 It is over But it has not ended Sometimes it seems the same In the residue 6/8 in the left hand 4/4 in the right or I can play 5/4 With my right hand 7/8 with my left Permatemps on trial That's 5/4 in the right hand  Scum at the top 7/8 in the left 5/16 on the bass drum Is the grave of reality  Map my blood More and more minutes Are shorter Chaos in abundance Separating from the universe To rent a small room In the code? OK so 5/4 in my right hand 7/8 in my left and 5/16 on the bass drum This is the story of a refugee He lives at home You know It doesn’t matter That you know People are dying Of immunity Words have gone missing The letter ‘p’ Wa abandoned ‘R’ will be The next to go There are no more commas In the residue Laughter Seems to end abruptly As if it’s been Badly recorded Then you realize You’ve been waiting In line For 2 years And nothing has lasted Long enough To make a world If I could play 5 rhythms at once astonishment caring beauty celebration awakening But I don’t think I’ll get there Though I practice daily an earnest and enthusiastic engagement with illusions A screen  life Flickers Language maiming reality How else can I say it If it were any louder You wouldn’t hear it I didn’t even dare think That SHE was the ONE! (phone rings) Excuse me (phone)No, I know You said Not to call you. I didn’t mean To call you Especially now I’m playing a solo Concert On stage in front of An audience I have 4 rhythms Going at once Why on earth Would I call you now? No, I never said You were my 9/8 9/8 is what it feels like to be starving You came to my mind And you were called It just happened. The technology is beyond me It gets more and more crowded  as things get further  And further apart  Are you still there I can’t hear you Can you hear me Hello Hello How many 5 sixteens  Can you play How many 3 eights 7 fours? I hit shake pound and scrape Like a first responder  But beats abandon the measure  Everything  built by ghosts Words  stop halfway  between the speaker and the listener is not listening anyway She's swimming in pictures In Pictures of the river She snaps a selfie  Where The bridge ends Halfway across the flood Of burning water  But suddenly you notice There are no more hyphens Apart from that And an almost Imperceptible change In the color Of apples Everything seems the same But what’s the point? Sleep Or resist There are no more Question marks It is over But it has not ended This is life In the Afterworld

THE MESSIAH for speaking cello soloist text and music by Hugh Levick Performed by Cecilia Tsan at HEAR NOW Music Festival 2017