(« Between the waves » by Ivan Aivazovsky)

The seventh chapter of « The Dam » is entitled « Flow » and presents the situation once the obstacle has been overcome, the dam has been levelled, and the test has successfully been passed.

The protagonist/narrator is now moving forward into the dream, responding to the calling of the ocean.

The lyrics are almost complete, although I'm not quite satisfied with parts of the choruses.

Have I ever been here ? / Memories I'm recalling
Of similar currents / And one ingenuous starling
Only doing the things / That kept his heart beating
Not much of a skipper / Misguided but well-meaning

Though it's a different stream / And time has made me wiser
I still have the same dream / The ocean is calling
I'm headed for the goal / No more changing the bearing
I have chosen the boat / I have chosen the river

Riding high I defy
The ordinary
Advancing into the dream

Still I can't clarify
Was it I at the helm ?
Did I really have a choice ?

I feel I could stay here / For all eternity
Purposeful and passionate / In creativity
Driven forth by the flow / Sailing effortlessly
Doing what I'm feeling / Is best for you and me

No trace of the old barrage / Completed its demise
A necessary passage / Into maturity
Still I am wondering / Never really knowing
This life I call my own / Could it have been otherwise ?

Riding high I defy
The ordinary
Advancing into the dream

And I cannot deny
I found my inner light
Now at last I feel alright

« The Dam » is a 22-minute long suite in 8 movements that uses the metaphor of water flowing from source to ocean to illustrate the process of individual growth.

As the title suggest, the focus is directed on one major obstacle/life-changing experience, symbolized by a dam on the river, which the protagonist/narrator has to conquer in order to reach their intended destination.

The storyline is inspired by my own life and struggle to reach the goal of earning a living through my artistic output, as opposed to working a day job to support myself and invest what’s left of my energies in artistic pursuits on a part-time basis, as I’ve done for the most part of the last twelve years or so.