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Musical Afterlives: The Energy Afterlives 360° performs their gift of song

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As we prepared to travel to Alaska for our 360° field experience, we wondered what gifts we could bring for our hosts that would feel "of" Bryn Mawr. One group of students decorated acorns from Senior Row; another group made linocut prints. One group wrote a song, which we all then performed for our hosts in Alaska.




Here are the lyrics:

"Musical Afterlives"
Written by Miya Matsumune (BMC ‘26), Kira Elliott (BMC ‘24), and Aidan York (HC ‘24). Performed by the Energy Afterlives 360° students and faculty.

They gather here, united in place
At 4:00 AM with fresh face
The arches tower above their heads
Excited to follow new red threads

But it didn’t begin here, not even close
That started months ago with a toast
A shared meal, shared interest brought them here
To Alaska, to learning, to friendship so dear

There’s senior row of trees down yonder
And moon benches for folks to ponder
The willows sway with blossoms pink
The Geo lounge with crisp water to drink
They bring all the places they were before,
Creating new afterlives to explore

In an era of “hypocrisy, weakness, and lameness”
They try to make sense of their difference and sameness
They learn about being together in place,
How plates collide, oil lives in pore space

But it didn’t begin here, not even close
It started with chemolithoautotrophs
We traveled to coal mines, AMD sites afar
Bringing our love all the way from Bryn Mawr

There’s constant construction, silencing birds
Rest in a hammock when there are no words
This place still struggles to confront its past
And the students rise with purpose steadfast
They bring all the places they were before,
Creating new afterlives to explore

It’s 4:15 and it’s time to go,
There’s rocks to taste and more to know
We hope this gift of song rings true
Thank you for hearing us, we can’t wait to listen
To you!

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  1. Musical Afterlives José Vergara

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