Poetry is often the inspiration for the music I compose. Each piece begins by carefully studying the words, speaking the rhythms, and listening for melodies that will help to convey a story. I want singers and audiences alike to see themselves inside the music—guided by the melodies and the text as one. The effect of the poetry in Measure Me, Sky! is instantaneous. It's as if one's arms have been cast wide, and their eyes turned to the heavens to take in the expanse both around and above. By opening with accented arpeggios that immediately rise into billowing triplet figures, I wanted to launch singers into flight and invite listeners into the same breathless exclamation. I was also inspired to learn that Leonora Speyer first started writing poetry in her forties—not as a young girl. By composing an ascending key change for the final refrain, a new harmonic world is revealed, calling us to venture into the unknown to discover our limitless potential.