Synopsis

A text setting of the poem “as” by E. E. Cummings to be performed by a child, a girl soprano.

The text of the poem is highly sexual:

as
we lie side by side
my little breasts become two sharp delightful strutting towers and
i shove hotly the lovingness of my belly against you

The melody is simple, entirely tonal, and features irregular meter changes, much like a song made up by a child.

The rationale for having a child sing the piece can be found in the work’s dedication: to the victims of childhood sexual abuse.