Category: Art

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Spinning Islands

“White conch shell” drawn with colored pencils on textured pper by Sandy Ross Bender on June, 2015.
“Spinning Islands” composed and performed with vocals and guitar by Sandy Ross Bender on June 14, 2026.

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I am going down to the Florida Keys,

Where hurricanes abound,

Spinning islands like a string of pearls, 

Wind sweeping waves into the sound.

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Mangroves and hardwood hammocks,  

Encircling the reef periphery,

Moonshine turning turquoise tides,

A wind quartet in lunar synchrony.

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I am not searching for sunken treasure,

In the deep blue depths, divers plumb.

I am looking for seashells that sparkle,

Along the shifting beaches, I comb,

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We could share a pail of whelks and cowries,

That drift in with the evening tide,

Gaze into conches and mother of pearl mollusks,

Discovering the sea, side by side.

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Lyrics and music – Sandy Ross Bender, June 14, 2026

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My lawnmower stopped working

“Mending meadow” painted with watercolor and gouache by Sanford Ross Bender on September 3, 2006
“My lawnmower stopped working”composed and performed with vocals and guitar by Sanford Ross Bender on May 31 and June 1, 2026.

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My lawnmower stopped working,

So, I let the grass grow high.

My neighbors are complaining,

That it would soon touch the sky.

I always wanted a forest,

And the birds that it would bring.

The minstrels will follow,

The troubadours will sing.

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The lawnmower was the pushing kind.

Like the mower that my father had.

He liked the clinking of the blades,

Without the fumes and noise that was so bad.

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Never had I thought of ghosts before.

But now I am in belief.

My father appeared to mow the lawn,

And now, I can sigh in relief.

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Lyrics and music by Sanford Ross Bender

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Sunnier days

“Improvising Cellist” sketched in concert with pen and ink by Sandy Ross Bender on May 17, 2026.
“Sunnier days” improvised and performed with banjo and guitar by Sandy Ross Bender in tribute on Memorial Day, May 25, 2026.
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In my own time

“Springtime Magic” drawn with ink and painted with watercolors by Sanford Ross Bender
“In my own time” composed and performed with guitar, concertina, and piano by Sanford Ross Bender on May 8, 2026.
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Odyssey

“Odyssey” drawn with pen and ink by Sanford Ross Bender in Santorini, Greece .
“Drifting downriver” composed and performed with guitar, concertina, and crash cymbal by Sanford Ross Bender on March 4, 2026.

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Time is running out

“Great Horned Owl” drawn with pen and ink by Sanford Ross Bender.
“Time is running out” composed and performed with guitar, banjo, and concertina by Sanford Ross Bender on April 27, 2026.
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I’ll be well in the morning

“Scallop shells” drawn with colored pencils on fine paper by Sanford Ross Bender on June 15, 2020.
“I’ll be well in the morning” composed and performed with guitar, banjo, and mandolin by Sanford Ross Bender on April 7, 2026.

For Adam, my wonderful son getting better.

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Vernal equinox

“Ocean life” drawn with colored pencils by Sanford Ross Bender
“Vernal equinox” composed and performed with guitars, clarinet, and concertina by Sanford Ross Bender on March 20, 2026.
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Tears

“Young child” drawn with blue pencil on paper by Sanford Ross Bender in 1985.
“Tears” composed and performed with concertina, clarinet, and piano by Sanford Ross Bender on March 8, 2026.
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Head in the clouds

“Pondering on Monday morning” drawn with pen and ink, and colored pencils on paper by Sanford Ross Bender on February 5, 2026
“Head in the clouds” composed and performed wioth concertina and guitar by Sanford Ross Bender on March 2, 2026.