Presenting the winner of the 2026 HMC Poetry Contest:
“The Light We Bring,” by Joanna Baker Caldwell

From HMC President Dennis Clements:

Each entry we received showed great merit, and our judging panel enjoyed studying each one. I personally was moved by each poem, and I thank all of our poets for efforts and am saddened that we can only choose one poem for this contest.

“The Light We Bring” will be made available to composers entering our 2027 Composition Contest, which begins in September. The winning composition, based on Joanna’s poem, will be premiered in our concert, “Love, Music, & Memory, Sing Anything,” on April 10, 2027, at the Sandra Moon Performing Arts Center, 7901 Bailey Cove Road, S.E., in Huntsville.

Huntsville Master Chorale is proud to draw on the talents within our community to create outstanding choral music performances that will enrich not only our community but all communities that value language and musical arts.

Joanna Baker Caldwell is a family nurse practitioner by education, but has been processing deep thoughts, emotions, and her faith through poetry, devotional journaling, and writing songs, since her early teens. During her years of leading music for a participatory worship service and volunteer youth ministry, she wrote several songs based on specific worship themes. She has also written songs for other special life events for family and friends. She says the process of refining thoughts and feelings in a way that can be expressed in the rhythm and musicality of poetry, helps bring her clarity and usually results in a reframing to a hopeful perspective.

About her entry in the contest, Joanna says: “I saw the Facebook post at a time when the troubles of the world were weighing heavy on my heart. In my prayer time that morning, a procession of hurting people, had been flashing through my mind. Some familiar and dear to me, like those within my own family and circle of friends; but many unknown “neighbors," from a myriad of situations within my community, our state, our nation, and the world. There were seemingly unending tragedies unfolding, including wars, grief, loss, hardship, deprivations, injustices, cruelties, sickness — too many to name. I was feeling pretty small and helpless in the face of it all. I do believe that nothing is too big for God, but I also believe that God works through us. Each of us are called to shine God’s love and make a positive difference in the ways available to us. At the time, I was feeling like my light was pretty weak and wavery.

‘The Light We Bring’ theme really resonated with me in that moment, so I started writing. Over the next several days, I kept writing and editing, processing my feelings in the context of faith to find my way back to hopefulness and purpose. My writing is first of all, is a personal exploration, to help me process something about my faith and life. If it helps me, I will usually share it with others in case they might find something meaningful for them as well. Since the theme for the contest was what had prompted writing this poem to begin with, I submitted it to the contest. I am humbled and honored to have had my poem selected for this event. It’s especially appropriate that the larger theme for tonight’s performance centers around Alzheimer’s Disease, because part of my inspiration in writing this poem came from loving memories of my sister, Patricia Alice (Patty) Baker. She had Down syndrome and taught me much about how to shine the light of love and jo. She died in 2016 from Alzheimer’s Disease. Even though Alzheimer’s gradually took her from us, music allowed her to keep singing and shining her little love-light to the very end.”