Sermon for Saints and Sinners with poetry by A. B. Spellman is the musical telling of my stepfather, Veryl “Farouk” Walker.  It was commissioned by the Atlantic Brass Quintet in 2021 but was a personal and burdensome story, waiting to be discarded from my shoulders for more than 40 years. I thank you A.B. for finding just the right words to guide me to a place where I am more often releasing the burden and less reliving it. 
The scene is Far Rockaway, Queens in N.Y.C.  It’s 1978 at the beginning of the crack-cocaine era. My patriarch has fallen victim.
Live performance here with Atlantic Brass Quintet:
https://youtu.be/lUaW0tXGebU