Two of the songs in this cycle were inspired by the poetry of Michael T. Young and Sue Owen. I used my own poem to complete the group. In “Advice from a bat,” the violin portrays the sounds of the bat’s flight, while the tenor delivers the bat’s advice. In “Crickets,” the violin is the singing cricket, while the tenor describes how the cricket’s voice sounds to him. The violin represents the “Dark Shape” as the song begins, while the tenor describes seeing it outside his window at first light; only at the end of the song does he reveal what the shape actually is.