NEW! Latest personal/serious work click here: “Caught Dreaming Again” “Yasmine on the Verge of Tomorrow”
NEW! Latest political or COVID poetry here:
NEW! Latest introspective poetry here: “A Little Anxiety”
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Section 0: Erin, Curie, and Elia’s Poetry
Section 1: Fun songs: Lullabies, Clever, and Camp Songs
Section 2: More Personal Songs and Poetry. Some Good, Some Cringy, Some Just for Me
Section 3: Apparently I am Writing an Hamilton-esque Musical to cope with my frustrations in politics, justice, and COVID
Section 4: Introspection
Section 5: Early Poetry
Section 0: Erin, Curie, and Elia’s Poetry
Time
Written 2019 Erin Stewart Chen
The Movie Reel Inside My Head
Written February 16 & 17, 2021
COVID Halloween
February 15, 2021, by Curie Chen
My Little Sister
February 16 & 17, 2021 By Curie Chen
Dinosaurs by Elia Chen
July 18, 2020 This is a different one, all Elia.
A Giant Tub of Caramel
From the mind of Elia Chen, July 21, 2020, written with help from Daddy
The Tail of Two Cats
March 19, 2021 By Elia Chen with a little help from Albert
Spring All Around
March 23, 2021 By Elia Chen with a little help from Albert
The Crocogator
April 8, 2021 An Elia and Albert Collaboration
Section1
Section 1: Fun songs: Lullabies, Clever, and Camp Songs
Lullaby
With Curie and Elia. This was originally written as a lullaby for Curie with help from the Hoaglands, but has since become bigger with versus for Elia. Curie and Elia wore bear coats, Curie wore white, and Elia wore brown.
My Master Bought and Aibo 2.0
There is a My Master Bought an AIBO 1.0 which we wrote in collaboration in 2001. It is interesting to see that the older version of the song is less kid friendly. The story behind this is I liked the idea couldn’t find the original lyrics. Cy is working on the music for this one.
Dinosaurs!
Easily the most addictive song at the moment. The girls have hand motions that go with this. First line from Curie and her idea, The rest of the song was with Elia and her rhymes. Recorded July 21, 2020 at 2:00 AM because Elia asked why I didn’t record it yet – I told her I was tired and fell asleep.
Social Media, I Hate You!
Curie is credited for wanting to write a song about electric sharks.
Butterfly Flying Through the Fields
Erin’s Choice. This one was truly collaborative
Sister Sword Fighters
The girls’ theme song, heavy metal genre. There are drawings as well.
Who Watches the Bird Watchers?
Here are two versions, spoken word and vocal, which do you like better?
Don’t Call Her Princess…
For years we told Curie that she wasn’t a princess, she was the king, and she would tell people on airplanes, in hotels, and shops that she was king. It wasn’t until pre-school and kindergarten kids convinced her that princesses were a thing that she started liking princesses.
Why do the French Hate ze Fish?
Ten Little Owls, A Different Take on the Counting Song
Writing Warm-up
November 13, 2020, Written with the family right before bed
Bedtime
January 21, 2021
My Cupcake Has an Icing Toupee
February 3, 2021 Recording to come soon.
Joe the Shepherd Spy
February 27, 2021
Morning Quietude
February 27, 2021
Ah, Little Ones
February 22, 2021
Getting into the Disco Mood
February 14, 2021 (Celebrating the girls’ dance parties)
And How About This?
March 17, 2021
Red Panda Extravaganza
March 17, 2021
Has Clever Poetry Become Passe?
March 29, 2021
Super Fish Oil
April 4, 2021
Plastic Expectations
April 4, 2021
Evil Garden Gnome
April 4, 2021
Over the Thin King
April 4, 2021
Contemplating the Navel (Orange)
April 5, 2021
Haiku, Tanka, Sonnets, Sicilian Octave, Whatever!
April 6, 2021
The Cloud Eclipse
April 8, 2021
Bad Poetry: Making up rules when convenient
April 8, 2021
Kids
Kids
Misc: Rhymes and Songs from Childhood
Poems that Suephy and Bernard made up from when we were kids
Section2
Section 2: More Serious Music Some Good, Some Cringy
A Little Jazz, A Little Blue, and Alone
Written because Anya or Juju could sing this, but I ended up recording a version because it begged for a melody. Cy is working on this one too.
Driving the Highway
Nostalgia with George, so this actually happened to us. We were driving on Sunset and turned onto a side street and saw the girl. It inspired an essay, a short sudden fiction piece, and this song.
Started my Day in Brooklyn
This is also based on something that happened. I was traveling to Chicago for work and met up with Chris who was willing to drive down two hours, back up two hours to buy a guitar, and back again to hang out. He liked the song except for the wife leaving part since he and Nicole were together.
3 AM
Fifteen tracks of this were recorded on my last day in San Diego before I went to New York to go to work. Octavio said it would irreparably change me, and it did. We did try to meet up in Las Vegas to record a second one, but that didn’t work out very well. This was also recorded on MD player, and Octavio sang and played all the tracks, I just wrote the lyrics.
Insomnia
Need to take the time to actually record and arrange this one, the recording below is a sketchpad version of a melody.
Teen Age Years and Fathers’ Tears
Unfinished. Cy wrote a beautiful melody and arrangement, I just can’t do it justice partially because I can’t hear the music when I sing. I tend to lay the tracks with the song and will need to practice. Listen to it in the melody only version and read it, I think it works better that way.
Welcome Xavier!
For Reggie and Laura, this was originally written on the same melody as the Lullaby for Curie and Elia, but I didn’t want to give that up, so I recorded an entirely different song as a present for Reggie, Laura, and Xavier.
Feed Yo’ Soul
For Naheem, this is a second recording when the first one didn’t feel right at all. Embarrassed a bit at trying to rap, but it is what it is. The idea of feeding your soul has become really important to me and I try to help young people keep balanced by working on what makes them happy.
Not Going to Cry Anymore
This was originally the last of three songs from the 2001 song writing time along with April Dreams and Woke up in the Morning, but when it came time to put a melody to it, it sounded trite to me and I stopped writing music. Interestingly, Anya really liked it and wants to record it, which has made me rethink the older songs as having some potential again. They are from a younger time when I didn’t have kids yet so was more melodramatic and willing to be more adventurous in my writing.
Love Lives in the Heart
February 14, 2021
Techno Monk, Player Lite
February 14, 2021
Friendship Years Later
March 20, 2021
Loneliness Is Not Just For the Alone
April 2, 2021
My Friend Who Died on 9/11
April 3, 2021
Cherry Blossoms
April 5, 2021
Embrace Your Inner Me
April 5, 2021
Snobbery Has No Place in Art
April 5, 2021
A Tribute To My Parents
April 8, 2021
ABC
April 8, 2021
Embracing Age
April 8, 2021
An Ode to an Ideal Vacation
April 10, 2021
Twilight Descends
March 23 – April 21, 2021
NewSongs
NewSongs
Section3
New! Caught Dreaming Again
May 8, 2021
New! Yasmine on the Verge of Tomorrow
May 20, 2021
Section 3: “I Stand Against Stupid,” Apparently I am Writing an Hamilton-esque musical to cope with my frustrations in politics, justice, and COVID.
– Credit to Michael Kelley for the title.
Opening Song, Lyrics Only: Withstand With us
Withstand With Us
July 27, 2020 Get out and vote
Overwhelmed and Angry
Recorded July 17, 2020 Parental Advisory, Explicit Lyrics, Political Innuendo I apologize for my rapping.
Wear the Goddamned Mask
July 25, 2020, Parental Advisory, Profanity, Explicit Lyrics and Angry Disdain
Summer of 2020 and the Inflatable Fool
July 25, 2020, I am trying to write one that doesn’t have profanity so I can read it to the kids.
Watching the News
July 26, 2020, Really mad after listening to Trump’s Press Secretary
Slow Burn
July 19, 2020, Cy edits and submission. Recording is the instrumental, lyrics are on the link above
These two are called the Bipolar Duo, and are about social justice:
Holding on to Despair
July 12, 2020, 1 of 2 in the Bipolar Duo of Songs
We are all a little afraid of the dark
July 13, 2020, 2 of 2 in the Bipolar Duo of Songs, Anya Sol is interested in recording this one and says she has a melody already
These next two may not fit the collection and were kind of stream of consciousness in a frustrated manic moment
We Are Safe for the Moment
May 2, 2020 Written stream of consciousness and quick recorded to capture a tune unfinished and out of tune
I Hardly Sleep These Days
May 2, 2020 Wrote this one the same night, unable to sleep also recorded with a quick tune also unfinished and out of tune
November 2020
November 13, 2020, It is post-election and it is still crazy. Wrote this as a more explicit anger at Trump
Preparing for Hope A COVID Poem #COVIDPoetry
February 7, 2021
A Smile for A Hug Happy Chinese New Year!
February 12, 2021
Platitudes What started as a nice poem became sardonic
February 21, 2021
A Year in Quarantine
March 10, 17, 2021
Reflection 330 Days Out
April 3, 2021
Confession
April 4, 2021
What if the News Gets Boring
April 4, 2021
Disappointed in Society
April 6, 2021
Sadly, little friends with a little “f”
April 7, 2021
Political
Recent
Political
Recent
Section4
Section 4: Introspection
These first three were written in one night being very therapeutic writing poetry.
The Essence of Me
August 5, 2020 right before midnight. First poem of the night, fairly dark (1 of 3)
Get a Grip, They are Counting on You
August 6, 2020, Poetry written just after midnight, less depressive, more hopeful (2 of 3)
Self-talk and Bootstraps
August 6, 2020 A more light-hearted take on the same topic (3 of 3)
Lighting the Darkened Corners
August 7, 2020 I think I scared myself with this one, opening up too much or risking having a panic attack that I felt the need to write Reverie.
Reverie
August, 2020 Written to make sure I pick myself up after writing “Lighting the Darkened Corners.”
I Am a Broken Pot
September, 2020 Probably my favorite poem lately
Discorporation
November 12, 2020 Hard to keep it together in November
My Travels in Egypt
January 26, 2021 The inevitable “the Nile” poem
Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes
January 28, 2021 A follow up to My Travels in Egypt
The Journey
January 30, 2021
Drowning A second darker poem written right after
January 30, 2021
And Snow It Begins I wrote this on the fly after Chris expressed concern about the Journey and not even before reading Drowining
January 31, 2021
Under the Poa Tree #tenminutepoem
February 5, 2021
No Pictures Please! #wordplay poem
February 6, 2021
Don’t Reject me! A ditty written after “No Pictures Please!”
February 6, 2021
Hunger All-Consuming Please read to the end
February 6, 2021
Going for a Walk #threeminutepoem
February 6, 2021
One Day Past Middle Age
February 14, 2021
Wintering in December
February 21, 2021
Teenage Again
February 21, 2021
A Friendship Prayer
March 4, 2021
It Would be too Easy to Give in
March 4, 2021
A Specious Life
March 4, 2021
On the Brink
March 4, 2021
Why I Write
March 4, 2021
A Lesson in Humility
March 4, 2021
Poetry
March 4, 2021
Tired of Self-Pity
March 10, 2021
Thank you, it’s okay
March 10, 2021
Love Letter
March 10, 2021
Life May Be Suffering
March 17, 2021
Let Time Heal
March 17, 2021
It Is Okay to Let Me Be Me
March 17, 2021
Part of Me Has Gone
March 17, 2021
Not in Control
April 6, 2021
Escaping Quicksand
April 22, 2021
Life Feels Hard Lately
April 22, 2021
A Haiku Sonnet for Chris
April 22, 2021
New
New
New! A Little Anxiety
May 25, 2021
Section5
Section 5: Early Poetry and Songs
Poetry
Epitaph of a lonely Man 1987
She that I love 1988
Beat poem 1989
Emotion (a ditty) 1989
If I could find purchase to stand 1990
The most melancholy time of day 1993
Never a poet will I be (The Rachel Dream) 1993
Splash Poetry 1997
In My Youth 1997
Songs
April Dreams 2001
Woke up in the Shadows 2001
It’s not easy being me 2002
I Walk Alone 2002
Woman in the Mirror 1999
Under My Skin 2000
You Don’t Sit That Far Away 2000
When She’s Around 2000
My Master Bought an AIBO 1.0 2003