I Hear Music | for unaccompanied SSAATTBB | 3’45”
I Hear Music
I lie in my bed and listen to the music,
Looking out the window,
Watching things I never thought were there.
The sun shines and throws its rays upon the earth,
Blessing each and everything it touches.
The wind blows through the tree,
Making beautiful sounds I never dreamed of hearing.
Life is beautiful if we let it be.
If we pay attention to nature,
If we are natural,
We can live once on earth,
And enjoy what it offers.
--Derrill Kocurek (1950-1986)
Copyright © 1972, Used with permission.
TEXT
THE POET
Derrill G. Kocurek (November 4th, 1950 – January 24th, 1986)
Just like any other high school senior, Derrill Kocurek was carefree and filled with dreams, enjoying days of running on the beach and playing ball with his friends. This was the case until shortly before his 18th birthday, when Derrill was involved in a car crash which broke his neck, leaving him almost completely paralyzed. As a patient at the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, Derrill reluctantly agreed to finish his studies, earning credits at the hospital school to earn his high school diploma. While a student, he shared poems he had written with HISD Hospital Teacher, Kathryn H. Cox, who together with Dr. and Mrs. Austin L. Porterfield helped publish a collection of his works in a book entitled Yet I love Life.