THE SONG          EXPANSES          ADD YOUR VOICE                  
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Howard Pinderhughes
Samora,

As I listen to this song I feel a flood of thoughts and emotions. It takes me back to the first time I heard the song when you performed it at that small club on the lower east side. It was such a powerful and emotional moment that I broke down and cried. Hearing and feeling your pain, seeing you put yourself out there and allowing yourself to be vulnerable in a way I have never been was overwhelming. You shared your most inner feelings, your pain, your anxieties, your despair. The song signified your emerging from a very dark and difficult place, learning how to cope, learning how to bring yourself back up – learning how to come back every time.

The song represents your healing which I know is a lifelong journey. It represents your resilience at the same time it represents your brilliance. I stood with you outside of the club after the show and listened to several folks who were in the audience who thanked you for expressing their pain in such a painfully beautiful way. This is a very important song for what it is and was to you what it meant for you but also what it means to those who listen to it , particularly those who have found themselves in that dark place in their heads trapped in the waves of despair, anxiety and pain. It is also a beautiful tribute to your grandfather-- your best friend. It is a magnificent piece of music and art which does what really great art does – it tells the truth, your truth, with vulnerable honesty and transcendent emotion. It is very personal but is also universal at a time when so many people are struggling with these demons. It is, quite simply, brilliant. Thank you for this gift.

Papi



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