the rain has a slap and a curve (1997) for computer-generated tape is based upon excerpts from Robert Gregory's poem rain, convenience store, hungry cats. The majority of the sonic material is derived from a recording of the poet reading the following three lines of the poem:
the rain has a slap and a curve
the path it falls on curves also
even after the rain you can hear a whisper of rain
The composition is divided into three main sections that explore the sonic possibilities of the source material.

Click the link below to download an audio excerpt

For performance materials contact jon.nelson@unt.edu

Rain, Convenience Store, Hungry Cats

The rain has a slap and a curve
(the path it falls on curves also)

the girl it falls on

tiny girl in plastic poncho (red)

does a sudden tiny dance
and makes a noise, then shivers

(ecstasy looks just like a chill)

long day will be gone at last
and under the bed, the ghosts

they’ve given up and got lonely
and gone to sleep

now, two small serious girls
wait outside in a junker

their mother’s inside
calculating what will fill them up

under the lights the packages are blazing and clean
a dream is not all what’s going on

even after the rain,
you can still hear a whisper of rain

and after the rain, a one-armed lady goes around
feeds the wide-eyed cats hiding in doorways

by Robert Gregory, 1997
unpublished, reprinted by permission of the author