thank you, Artful, for your sage comments.

as long as he stays true to the intent of a poem, Mike is comfortable with adapting it to music for singing... if he can't accomplish that, he leaves it alone. The tune must fit the emotion and support the meaning of the work.

now, for an historical perspective... who the heck would remember Schiller, if not for the musical adaption of his Ode to Joy. A young Ludwig fell in love with the piece and its message and took a long time, but managed to give it a musical setting that is beloved 2 centuries later. And its message inspired other composers to also adapt the work.

A good idea refuses to die if it can be taken up by others. We believe that setting some of her work to music has helped introduce her work to others and keep her memory alive.