songy stuff

Finding a poem can be bloody difficult.

Actually, no, just finding a poem, any poem, is pretty easy. It's when you start throwing in requirements that it becomes tricky. What I have is three requirements and a bunch of possible-maybe-ideas.

1. Must be in the public domain and settable to music.
2. Cannot be too long (by which I mean it should be relatively short).
3. Must meet the approval of all involved parties (namely me, my mother, possibly my father though he refuses to involve himself, and the composer).

+ Mom was thinking something about mothers, or daughters, or both
+ I don't want it to be outright or obviously on the above subject
+ I'd like there to be some sort of nature or floral imagery, because I like that, and because it ties in my mind at least to mothers and my grandmother in particular.
+ science geekery is another option

If all else fails, I could try to write one myself, but the stuff I write tends to be abstract and develops its own music, which, as I am not the composer, is not good.

At the moment, two almost possibilities: Nature, the gentlest mother, by Emily Dickinson is a little on the long side, and while nice, neither Mom nor I leapt on it as perfect; and Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare, by Edna St. Vincent Millay may have copyright issues - Hah! First published in 1922, which means that it was published before 1923 which means that, without condition, it is in the public domain. There's still no guarantee that it's the one we want, but nothing's removing it from that list. *feels smug*