The making of a Thunder Song

   My husband and I spent a year living in Deming, New Mexico. It was a
strange new land for us. We had both spent our formative years in
Indiana. yet we yearned for a new place,  and for me, I was searching for a
new landscape, both internal and external.

       I am a writer of  many things. While in New Mexico I published my first poem, "Las
Mariposas" by the regional magazine Shadowlands.

      Early on into our year and a half stay, I wrote a lyrical poem - Thunder Song, 
Writing the poem flowed in a very natural way,  recognized it had a
lyrical rhythm. Not typical of my previous poetry, which was way more on
the universal abstract side of writing.

     I joined the local writer's group, made some literary friends - oh so many wonderful
stories meeting these people, people who had retired to the area and had
a lifetime of living a life of writing to share.

I inquired locally about finding  a collaborator to set the poem to music, but was
basically told to bring my guitar (I had none) and show up at the local
open mic in a small town many miles away.  That option was not available
since I didn't play a musical instrument and we were on a really tight
budget the whole time we lived in New Mexico.

     I wrote and lived and took pictures and did what I could to feed my artistic needs. I
had many wonderful and also stressful experiences while living there.  I
still trudged along with the hope that the poem would somehow end up a
song.

       Toward the end of the first year of living there we still didn't feel things
were coalescing, things were not easing the way they should
if you are meant to live in a different place, and my husband was feeling
the pull of the change of seasons  in Indiana. We started to talk of returning, of going back.

    I had made a friend of a writer, Dallas Lemon and his wife, Barbara Johnson (both
wonderful writers with a world of experience), and I had discussed this
particular poem with Dallas and given him a copy. I knew it was good,
but had no venue, nor idea where to go next.

Dallas liked the poem and gave it to a local contact, a long-time singer-songwriter (of the
Southwestern music flare), "Sundown Pete" Kobal.

     Peter liked the poem, saw potential as a song, and offered very few revisions.
I met him, and his wife Margie at a local food court. He was
enthusiastic  but direct and told me he would compose music. I would
register it with the copyright office (which I did) and BMI (which I
did).

He eventually recorded the song, sent me the lyric sheets
(which a wonderful person whose name I now have forgotten from the
Lafayette, Indiana folk group, transcribed), finally registering the
music & lyrics, obtaining copyright & BMI coverage.  Peter
recorded the song on his CD "The Only Star, produced  and issued by
Driftwood Records.

       Since I have always had the necessity of a full time job, my journey marketing the song
has been limited.  A few years before country singer Johnny Cash died I
did send a demo to his office (the contact address had been provided by
Peter Kobal, who knew of such things), but when I called as a follow up, the receptionist who answered and stated, in a wonderfully sweet southern voice, that Mister Cash no
longer accepts unsolicited songs.



       It has had some radio play, and shortly before Peter Kobal's  passing this spring,
I posted this YouTube Video of it, along with pictures, some of New Mexico, as a
thanks. Peter Kobal (as well as Dallas Lemon) liked my poem, saw the
lyrical merit of it and made it his own.

What more could a writer ask.