The closing lines of Amy Lowell’s 1915 poem “Aliens” presents a whimsical, yet bittersweet moment: “And while I laugh/ My spirit crumbles at their teasing touch.” The imagery of these lines seemed to be the ideal sonic inspiration for a violin-harpsichord duo. I was particularly interested in integrating the instruments timbrally, rather showing off their obvious contrasts. The musical gestures of the pieces continually crumble and splinter in various ways, ultimately resembling the unpredictable rustling of autumn leaves in the wind.