S2E8- No Common Now

 

In this episode of Faithfulcrum, Scott and Mark are joined by songwriter, poet, and actor Nick Torres. What starts out as a casual conversation about songwriting and creative collaboration quickly drifts into deeper waters—eternity, heaven, fear, the vastness of the universe, and the strange ways humans try to make sense of time.

Along the way the conversation moves through childhood memories of religious teaching, the unsettling idea of forever, the staggering scale of the cosmos, and the ways creativity can help us process the parts of life that feel out of our control. At one point the discussion lands on a fascinating idea from physics: the possibility that there may be no single shared “now.” That maybe eternity isn’t just time stretching on forever, but something more like a different perspective altogether.

For this episode we’ve taken moments from across the conversation and turned them into a series of six sonnets—each one pulled from a different point in the discussion and reflecting a different theme that emerges along the way.

Musically, these poems are imagined in the spirit of madrigals—those rich, vocal chamber pieces from the Renaissance where several voices weave together around a poetic text. Madrigals have a way of holding both seriousness and playfulness at the same time, which actually fits this conversation pretty well.

Here are the sonnets you’ll hear in this episode:

“Virtual Friends”
Inspired by the opening conversation about FAWM, songwriting, and meeting creative collaborators online, this sonnet reflects on how art connects people across distance and identity.

“Accept No Heaven Without a Switch”
This one grows out of the discussion about childhood ideas of heaven and eternity—and the slightly terrifying thought of happiness that never, ever ends.

“No Common Now”
The philosophical center of the episode. This sonnet explores relativity, perspective, and the idea that eternity might not be endless time, but a different way of seeing time.

“Flyers Everywhere”
Drawn from a story about religious fear and end-times teaching, this poem focuses on how fear can shape young minds—and how deeply people need reassurance and community instead.

“Studio Brain”
From the later discussion about therapy, stress, and creativity, this sonnet looks at art as a place where we try to regain a sense of control when life feels chaotic.

“An Album Waits (Pretty Pretty Maladies)”
Inspired by the closing part of the conversation about AI, songwriting, and grief, this final sonnet reflects on how art often grows out of loss—and how creation can help us carry it.