No Longer is a bit of a sad song, composed by the lovely Roz Fog Bob of Vowella Valley. In Book 2, Innocents and Curiosities, her son, Mok, hears her singing it during a quiet, late-night moment. It pains Mok to know she sings about his dad and all that he is missing with his family because he is blind to his mistakes.

Inspiration for the song came from my observations of many a dad as my sons were growing up. Some of them took little interest in their kids’ lives. Several were more concerned about their own status than that of their kids. I found that quite sad.

I wrote the melody and lyrics for this song many years ago. I’m excited that it will now have a life of its own. Since the Fog Bobs are such proper, studious folks, I thought the song should have a classical feel, yet have a splash of hard rock to signify their rare tendency to let loose. It sounded fine in my head… until I heard Aki’s take on the song. He created my version, but he made his own version, just for fun. My version was out in an instant, with no regrets. The simple piano with the soft guitar accompaniment that he created captures a much more believable and beautiful mood for the song. Kudos as always, Aki!  B