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1.
I- Home 06:28
I can’t sleep. I’m sitting at a desk, Staring at a computer in San Juan, Porto Rico. -I mean- Puerto Rico It’s cool (by Puerto Rican standards) outside, But hot, hot, HOT inside. Coquís, tiny tree frogs forming a chorus after rain. It’s lovely and I know I’ll miss it if I ever leave. But it’s not home. I am not home Puerto Rico has natural beauty and nice people, But, tonight I’m homesick. I’m remembering my country years, Growing up on a small dairy farm in Mequon Wisconsin. I liked roaming the fields, Making up stories About little people Living in forests of alfafa. I liked bringing the cows to the barn for their mid-day drink of water, And observing their “pecking order”, As the more docile cows waited their turn for water. After supper, I looked forward to taking my dog, Prince, along To round up the cows. (My father never believed me, But Princie did accomplish this feat, One time!) I also enjoyed standing at the gate, calling, “Come, bass”. Some of them came, sometimes. Mostly, not. My heart swelled as I contemplated the sun setting Over the area of the parcel that we called “Cuba”. (All we knew was that a man had lived there And had put up a sign over his door that said: “Cuba”) I remember the summer that I tamed wild tigers, Born high in the Haymow. All tigers became loveable and docile kittens, And eventually vicious mousers. I may be-I am- far from Wisconsin, but my heart is still in Wisconsin. It’s my Wisconsin and I’m home… And I’m home…
2.
I remember my father, Edgar Wille, Edgar Wille. Who, despite an eigth-grade education, Was not only literate But who knew when to plant and harvest crops At just the right times. Edgar Wille, Edgar Wille And who, though not an agronomist, Understood the benefits of crop rotation And the appropriate use of manure. Edgar Wille, Edgar Wille And who, though not meteorologist, Knew each cloud, And what it could, and could not do. He knew tomorrow’s weather Better than the men on TV. Edgar Wille, Edgar Wille. He was, in his own way, a naturalist Who would pause from his work To observe the migration of geese. He also would report On the sighting of a fox, Deer (not so common then), Or a garter snake, sunning itself on a rock. Edgar Wille…My Edgar Wille…Our Edgar Wille…Oh Edgar Wille! My Pa. He was not an agronomist, He was not a meteorologist. He was a naturalist. Quite literate In the reading of Word, Crop, Soil, And cloud. He read earth…and clouds.
3.
And I remember my mother, Esther Wille I remember my mother, Esther Wille, And I remember the excitement of the first day of Ozaukee County Fair. Waiting until early morning, to pick fresh flowers for the competition, She would fill the basement with zinnias, marigolds, petunias and more. I can still recall the scents… Then on to Cedarburg to participate in the first highlight of summer. My mother also entered the bread competition. One year, she won $50 from Midas Flour She won $50 from Midas Flour She won $50 from Midas Flour and treated my sister and me: To ice cream. She also entered canning. Sadly, one year her blue-ribbon peaches were stolen. (Yes, there was crime, even back then) The other high point of summer was the Wisconsin State Fair. -The Wisconsin State Fair- My mother was the star-the unofficial pickle queen- The unofficial pickle queen! Her dill pickles, cherry dills, bread and butter pickles, And others, won so many prizes that a reporter from the Milwaukee Journal Came to our farm to interview her. Mom was practically famous. I remember my mother Esther Wille.
4.
There are other memories, But, mostly I remember the land, The gentle inclines, The low spots, and the higher spots With a view of the woods, And the steeple of Trinity Lutheran Church Freistadt Beyond. Our Freistadt, Beyond. When I think of “home”, I think of the land, Fifty-eight and a half acres, on Wauwatosa Road. I feel the land beneath my feet. I become aware of the alfalfa and the oats As they brush against my legs. I smell the aroma of freshly cut hay. I again experience the pungent dampness of the cow’s breath And I remember the dust in the lane As the cows trudge towards the barn. I may be-I am- far from Wisconsin, but my heart is still in Wisconsin. It’s my Wisconsin and I’m home… I’m home.

about

As religious refugees from the King of Prussia, my maternal ancestors named the place they escaped to their “Freistadt” (Free-town). It wasn’t quite a town; it started with a church: Trinity Lutheran Church- Freistadt.

While living in Puerto Rico, my mom, Carolyn Wille Rivera, wrote an ebullient essay about growing up on a farm where she met God in nature, witnessed the everyday heroism of her parent’s farm-work and the steeple of our Freistadt beyond. Reading it, I heard my mother’s heart sing. When I Think of Home is a dramatic outpouring of the loving-longing of mother’s words played out by piano, violin and operatic soprano reaching toward our Freistadt beyond.

Thanks to all who made it happen. Thanks for listening generously to this imperfect recording of a very good performance. Please consider subscribing to support further development.

credits

released June 1, 2023

Leanna Hieber, soprano and the Orfeo Duo: Vita Wallace, violin. Ismael Wallace, piano. Lyrics based on the essay "My Wisconsin" by Carolyn Wille Rivera. Libretto, additional lyrics and music by Marcos de Jesús Wille aka Marcos "de la Guagua".

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Marcos de la Guagua The Bronx, New York

De la Guagua = of the bus, of us. Insight-driven roots-radical rapper, music/dance-maker, Afri-Boricua folklorista, Christian. I work on wholeness in a world that divides and conquers because we are emotion and intellect. We all need a Bible, a hymnal & a drum to know where we're going and where we come from, a person becomes a person among people, and a nation needs freedom, land & dance-halls. ... more

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