Hello and thank you so much again for joining us.

I am your host and the author of The Peace you're about to hear tonight, The Grey Night.

It is very good to be back, and I appreciate all the well wishes, all the support.

You asking me to take some time off from my health. It means a lot.

And it also made me feel pretty good.

In addition to the piece I put up Monday, I feel pretty good about this one as well.

The concept, I came up with it quite some time ago, but it just never felt quite right to do.

I think you'll see why in the first 60 seconds or so.

So let's cut the music about here,

because this one does have a little bit of a musical cue.

Let's close our eyes and think about another time, another place,

where power dynamics between men and women were very, very different. It's something I want to explore with you in a piece called Slave. The Do not cast your eyes upon me.

No.

Keep them low and down.

Even from your position on your knees, you are not allowed to look at me.

Not as I am.

Not in all of my glory.

For you see, I am the most glorious thing you could ever witness, and I needed you to know that.

"'You see, I'm a God. I am your God.

"'It does not matter what you believe or what you believed before now.

Think of it in the most simple terms.

You will live or die on my whim.

...