Top Six Live Music Moments 2018

 Live shows weren't as plentiful in my life as some previous years, however the ones I did see were some of the best ever.  There are some musical moments that stand out in my mind, so here is recap of my top six. I've included videos to share either the magic of the song, or the artist, or both!



6. "Have It All" performed by Jason Mraz. Fort Myers. March.
Jason is the type of performer you can enjoy even if you don't know his music. In an evening that stretched nearly three hours, there were many to choose. This was his final song and a new one he was releasing, and it inspired me greatly. I played this song on the first day of school for all of my classes, and I went to see his film about making the music video. Fun, fun, fun!

5.  "Don't Miss Your Water" performed by Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. Clearwater. December
This song was written by the fabulous soul artist William Bell, which I never realized until that night. Of all the songs performed that evening, each one a classic, this was the one that moved me the most. I'm putting a live version by Bell here, just because it's so great!

4. "Tomorrow Is My Turn" performed by Rhiannon Giddens. Tampa. April.
I first got into the music of Rhiannon Giddens when I was suffering a health issue. Her music was incredibly healing, and her version of this Nina Simone song was life-changing for me during that particular part of my life. Hearing it live intensified its healing magic for me.

3. "Dear Theadosia" performed by Jin Ha as Aaron Burr in Hamilton. Chicago. June.
Jin Ha was my favorite performer in the production of Hamilton; the emotion he brought to this song was unforgettably moving. I understand he has moved on to another show. I count myself lucky I got to see him in June.  I first saw Jin Ha in the televised live production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and he impressed me then as well.

2. "Everything That Glitters is Not Gold" performed by Balsam Range. Sanibel Island. January.
The vocals. The heartbreak. Buddy Melton's amazing tenor voice. Seeing Balsam Range was a night of humor, music, and artistry. This is one of the best examples: a story of a woman that leaves her family behind for the rodeo. When he hits that pause near the end, my eyes never fail to fill with tears no matter how many times I've listened.

1. "American Tune" performed by Paul Simon. Sunrise, FL. September
The second last song in a two hour concert, the lyrics and Simon's introduction encapsulated everything that needed to be said about our  lives during this era. It was delivered with just Simon on the stage, one spotlight, no screens. Tears flowed. This has always been a favorite of mine, and he gave it the honor it deserves in the American songbook.

Experimental

Today I was longing to write a found poem. After reading four poems by H.D. (Hilda Dolittle), I decided to not only use as the basis for a found poem, but to make it a nonet as well. Here is my experiment.  Got to say, I liked the little internal rhymes that showed up. Thank you, Annmarie, for the title suggestion.

RESOLVED
Only now my heart shell breaks open,

the phoenix dropped a grain of wax.

We are each with a treasure

in the light of both past

and future, gems, gold

things new and old,

dissolved, lost?

Claim it.

Peace.

Smart Girls, Part Two

FLIGHT

Finley aims with a clear eye

Light arrow hits the mark,

Ignoring flights of fancy.

Grounded in her beingness.

Home in herself, and her

Trajectory of success

SHAPES

Sharp mind

Humorous and humble

Anna squares off

Pointing to contradictions

Embracing all conversation

Safe in her circle of knowing

Warm Fire

Cassidy -- a warm fire in a cold world.

Ready for anything, her eyes glittering.

She moves as if in a palace

of her own making, of her

own creation, knows how to be good,

how to stay in deserving graces.

SILVER

Sophisticated and modern

Intuitive and balanced

Living in harmony with others

Velvet fits this girl Ja'kira

Emblem of soft strength

Regal, graceful, and smooth

CREST

Curls rest atop her head

Reaching and rising, Amiyah is an

Emblem of the wave, the hill

Sailing her way to the apex

Taking up her coat of arms

Night Wind

Erica must know

the foreverness of blue sky

the elusiveness of night wind

the voices of mountains

taking her into herself.

 

Hannah Flies

In a moment of clarity

Hannah flies

face as fresh as

a winter day

searching for the high place

believing in

the soundless shadow of love.

STRING

Stretching herself

Threading ideas together

Run of academic success

Intricate movements

Never losing composure

Grounded and centered -- Emily

SILENCE

Spends class time in silence.

It is her right to do so.

Listening, but responding rarely.

Expressing her thoughts carefully.

Navia may not be loquacious, but has

Collected within herself

Everything she will ever need.

* Inspirations *

"Flight" by Twyla M. Hansen

"Urban Renewal XX" by Major Jackson

"Ode to My Mother's Handwriting" by Barbara Hamby

"Spiddal Harbor" by David Whyte 

"Savior" by Maya Angelou

"Fire" by Joy Harjo

"In a Moment of Madness, a Dublin Poet Thinks for an Old Love" by David Whyte

"Call It Fear" by Joy Harjo

"Tuesday June 4, 1991" by Billy Collins

Comfort Food

Today is bittersweet. We are having our traditional Christmas Eve Eve -- a tradition since 2010 when Margie and her family moved to Fort Myers. Although we do not yet know if and when they will move, there are many things in the works. It is fairly evident this is our final Christmas season together in the same state.

I decided to write a nonet about this morning's activities. Good way to process, right? Feeling pretty fine as I wrote, counting syllables, the house full of good smells.

And then that damn Aretha Franklin song came on, and I collapsed into a puddle. I think that song will forever be associated with this particular Christmas season.

Green not alone in summertime,
But in the winter's frost and rime;
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
How faithful are thy branches.

This sentiment found its way into my poem.

Happy day to all. Hope you are eating well. Say prayers for our family, please, as we face transition with acceptance and grace.

Comfort Food

I once heard Maya Angelou say

to think of the ones you love while

you are cooking for them. I 

did today while chopping

onions, browning the

meat, carrots.

Some things last.

Comfort.

Food.

This Old Reading Class

This week I had my reading classes fill out a survey (questions listed at the bottom), and it has caused quite a bit of contemplation on my part.  I was even up in the middle of the night thinking about 7th period and what needs to be done there.  It will probably come as no surprise to you that my two classes with 17 kids barely had any complaints, but that the issues rose higher with the number of kids in a class, culminating in my 28-member 7th period being the one with the most issues.

Oh for the days of reasonable class sizes!

Anyway, today I read a poem by David Whyte called "How the Rocks Came to Ireland," and I loved this line:

...the land opened up an old door again.

I decided this was a Golden Shovel poem for me. It is the end of the semester, a time to reflect and make plans to improve. This is my mode of operation every year. Some things never change!

The Door

Going through my student surveys has brought the

necessary messages to land

in front of me, to help me open

up to challenges and possibilities, to change up

what isn't working and bring an

increase of what they need in this old

reading class; their words are the door

I enter to create and innovate once again.

***

Survey questions I got from Pernille Ripp

Would you consider yourself a good student in this class? Why or why not?

Do you use your time well in class? Why or why not?

Do you feel respected by the teacher? Feel free to explain.

What do you wish I wouldn't do, or do less?

How would you realistically change this class?

What do you wish I would notice?

Overall, do you like being a student in this class?

Anything else?

"How shall I begin..."

Today's inspiration is from a wonderful collection called Women in Praise of the Sacred. I am using a healing ritual song from Owl Woman (who lived in American Southwest and had shamanic powers) as my mentor text. The photo is through a screen, so not that great, but I wanted something to represent the general environment I was drawing from in the song/poem.

How shall I begin my song

In the violet morning?

In this day my heart will go out

I will seek peaceful means of expression

In this day, my heart will go out.

The birds are quiet this morning

They have nothing to say

The light has not reached them.

I have walked beaches and woods

As a means to reach the edges inside myself

The trees comfort me, the water soothes.

The light on the horizon is brighter

I will enter this day in presence

and acceptance of all that comes my way.

Aretha sings "O Tannenbaum"

Today I read a poem by Twyla M. Hansen called "Moonrise, Aurora, Nebraska."  These lines stood out:

Look, life is like this, filled

with moments of meaning

and I decided to write an Inner Voice poem, (which also is a monostich, as it turns out) with some additions on the end.

Look, I heard Aretha sing and thought of her

life gone, how the world

is less for the loss of her voice,

like so many who have gone before

this way, we are enchanted and

filled with their presence

with their voices and spirits,

moments in time we treasure,

of memories and connection, bringing

meaning to our daily existence

                         through the grace of music

                         through our calm attention

                         through the lingering silence

10.1

It has been an amazing week.

I'm finding new blue and green spaces, not just outside, but in myself.

Last Saturday I wrote about signing up for a virtual race as a way to motivate myself to get out and walk. It has been productive. Today, one week in, I've completed 10.1 miles, one third of the way to my New Year goal.

I always thought I had to get out and walk in the morning because I'm too tired at the end of the day.  But I did one of my longest walks this week after dark, the coldest night of the week. I was bundled up in more clothes than I recall wearing for a long time. I made it. I was not too tired. It felt good.


Today while walking I found a new place I will call a prayer spot:

And in an attempt to make sure I got up to 10 miles today, I walked into the new Children's Garden at Lakes, which prompted some ideas for the story I'm thinking about for our TB prompt this month.

But mostly I've been a bit surprised on how my mood feels lifted a bit higher than usual.  I particularly noticed it on Gold days at work. This is the day I teach four different classes with my planning smack dab in the middle. Usually by the time the last two classes come, I'm feeling a bit ornery.  I have not been able to figure out exactly why, but it has been a consistent problem.

This week I noticed right away I was not feeling that way. I had more patience. No sign of grumpiness. I was able to slow down and think before reacting. Kinda awesome.

This extended to my home life. More than once I found myself extending extra special loving listening and response to my husband.  I feel some kind of perspective has shifted a bit -- just a bit more light coming through the prism. This came in handy while taking our recent trip.

We drove up to  Clearwater, which was difficult both going and coming home. Getting there we ran into plenty of traffic, and barely got to the hotel in time to change and walk to the theater; in fact, we missed the first song or two. My husband was not happy about walking because it is very painful for him, and he said he did not want to walk back. During intermission I found the house manager and she gave me the phone number of a reliable and quick cab service (note to self: sign up for Uber!)  The concert was a wonderful time, relaxing and uplifting, and definitely worth the aggravation of getting there. When done I was ready to call the cab, but my husband said he could make the walk back, which we did on a lovely, breezy Clearwater night.  I looked forward to walking around the neighborhood the next morning.

But as morning came, so did a sloppy rain. After our breakfast we left, figuring to be home in the noon hour, which would give me time to walk in Fort Myers, and do some other things I planned on doing since I had the day off school.

That also was not to be. After being slowed down by the rain, we got stuck on I-75 just south of Sarasota when they closed the highway for what they labeled "Emergency Scene." This delayed us by two hours. There was absolutely no way or nowhere to exit and, of course, I had to pee. It was crazy, yet somehow I found myself remaining calm and centered.  Later we would find out that a man had fallen out of the back of a box truck -- fatally, of course -- and I imagine there was quite a mess to clean up. Jim also pointed out that they probably had to photograph every single thing to be sure it wasn't a murder!

By the time I got home, I was deeply in need of the massage I had wisely scheduled.  It took care of all the "sitting in the car too long" aches I was experiencing. Today was a new day to make up for lost miles. The sun came up. I feel great.

Life is good...always.

Dimensions

This collection includes all sorts of poems: Inner Voice, Golden Shovel, and Acrostic

Bethsada Believes

Comes to us as curious

Lifetime of deep interest

And immersion, Bethsada

lost in what engrosses her,

been happy to follow that path,

finds herself in the perfect place.

Leading and Lifting

Luis brings with him a wholeness

that enhances our life

in the classroom. He led

the way from the start, celebrating

being a reader, lifting his youth

to new heights.

NORTH

Not one to ever give up, Jefferson takes

Obstacles as the challenge they are meant to be,

Renewing the strength of his character and centering him

Trusting the long road has a purpose and

Holds the promise to the future he deserves.

 POETRY

Poetry in motion, as they say

On display with beauty, language, and expression

Enter Kristi, a quiet marvel

Tracing her outline in our class

Reaping the benefits of learning, saying

Yes to her own sound and rhythm. 

HEART

Hugs, hugs, hugs

Everywhere she goes, Jasmin's

Arms reach for others

Reveling in embrace, showing her

Thoughtful love and acceptance.

LIFTED

Lithe and lifelong learner

Interested and introspective, Ke'ahna

Favors thinking for herself

Trusting her mind implicitly

Expecting to succeed

Dividend earned from hard work.

SPEAK

Saying what is on his mind

Preferring one-on-one conversations

Expressing his opinion, his daily challenges

Austin provides for us a

Key into his perspective of the world.

WORDS

(for Josh)

Wherever he goes

Opinions are given

Reasons and comments

Doesn't doubt himself

Steady and strong.

*

"Later Life: A Double Sonnet of Sonnets" by Christina Georgina Rossetti

"Urban Renewal XVIII" by Major Jackson

"Crossing the Border" by Joy Harjo

"Ode to My 1977 Toyota" by Barbara Hamby

"Hands Across the Water" by David Whyte

"Sunday Morning with the Sensational Nightengales" by Billy Collins

"Letter to Brooks" by Major Jackson

"Someone Talking" by Joy Harjo

Return

On Friday I read a David Whyte poem called "Return," in which he describes a nature scene, then says he heard an ancient word, causing him joy and grief. (The word was "Ireland.")

I already knew I'd be heading out to walk in nature this weekend, and decided I would listen for a word as well. Today I visited Six Mile Slough in the early morning hours.  Here is my poem, based on David's structure.

The day started with egrets roosting in trees across the lake
Great Blue Herons flying overhead, calling
The cypress tree needles in shades of golden brown
reflecting in the black water of the slough.

I walked, musing, energized, happy,
Feeling wholly part of this place,
The trees, the ferns, the warblers flitting about.

And I breathed deeper
than I have in a while,
the trees whispering the word I needed to hear:

Community.
What I owe it; what it gives me.

Acrostics II

SHIMMER

She is a spark and a flash

Her focus epic; Gennifer is

Insulated from distraction

Maybe she is a princess

Maybe she is a prophet

Edges smoothed and silvery

Reflector of diamond clarity 

FOLLOW

Firestorm of fun

Ongoing smile and activity

Leilani lifts the classroom

Lights the shadows that may linger

One flame can do so much while

Waving and weaving brilliant designs.

AQUIFER

And on that first day she stood out

Questioning and quipping

Undaunted and embracing

Intelligence like a deep well

Free of any constraints, Ryann is

Ever rattling the cages

Resisting any chains that could bind. 

CASTLES

Conserving, considerate

Andril stands tall

Savvy and sage

Temperate and truthful

Lets us in slowly

Egalitarian

Stands up for what's good for all.

 MOTION

Maybe it's the smile and jokes

Or more likely it's the sharp brain

That keeps Joseph a whirring

Image of magic and brilliance

Oscillating between talk and silence

Never giving up on any idea he owns.

 GLASS

Giving and gracious this girl Jasleen

Listening well and remaining open

Applying what she learns, reflecting

Simply wonderful to be around

Safely happy in the world she knows.

WATER

Weaving her way through the school day

Aubrey is generous and kind-hearted

To everyone she meets. She is

empathetic and gentle, a quiet

river of thoughtful attention. 

SPARK

Smoke and fire

Purposefully doing what she does

Arriving with the world watching

Re-igniting when burned out

Keke -- striking against the stone.

*

Inspirations:

"Metaphor" by Major Jackson
"Osso Bucco" by Billy Collins
"Into the Wind" by Twyla M. Hansen
"These Yet to Be United States" by Maya Angelou
"There Was a Dance, Sweetheart" by Joy Harjo
"Urban Renewal XV" by Major Jackson
"Mighty Mississippi" by Twyla M. Hansen
"The Best Cigarette" by Billy Collins

Fireworks and Fitness

It has been on my mind for a very long time.

A few years ago I fell off my walking practice. I blame it on the shingles that manifested in March of 2016, because I can trace my fatigue for walking back to a few months before that event. I have never been able to recover. Last year I was struggling with a doctor's insistence that the sun would wreak havoc with the lupus she claimed I had.  I wasn't sure what to believe. It caused me to think twice about getting outside, unless it was before sun-up or after sundown.

But since I realized that wasn't an issue, I have struggled with getting back to it. To multiple my underlying angst about this is the fact that I've recently come to crystal clear terms on my status as a worker who will most likely not retire until at least the age of 70.  Money is only part of the reason.  A big reason is that I love teaching, and just cannot imagine any other life at this time.

Yet, I knew that my obvious lack of fitness could stall this initiative. At the beginning of this school year I really struggled with inflammation in my back muscles from standing on my feet all day after relaxing in a chair most of the summer. Although I am much better now, and easily making it through the day, I don't want to suffer like that again. I feel it is inevitable unless I take charge and make some changes.

Many of the people I work with are work-out crazy -- going to the gym and running is evident in daily Facebook posts. I have tried to become a runner since the late 70's without much success -- it never sticks. So I say good for them, but I've come to understand it isn't for me.

Which leads me back to walking, and the latest trend of fitness: virtual races. A website and app called Yes.Fit has a whole series of races you can do at your own pace, complete with medal and/or t-shirt. What made me actually go to the website and check it out was a co-worker saying she was doing the Mark Twain race. That caught my attention. One quick look at the website revealed running was not mandatory. Walking is perfectly acceptable.

I browsed through the races, getting more and more interested in the possibilities. I came upon the New Year 2019 race: 30 miles through Australia, with a medal that has fireworks over Sydney Harbor and the Opera House.  Lights! Color! Music! Water! A New Year! And with winter break coming soon, time to get out and walk a total of 30 miles before New Years Day.

I was in.

Nearly immediately I was out walking in my neighborhood, clocking my first mile. I am aware enough to know that I need to build up to longer and longer walks, but I was thrilled to get my first 1.25 miles in, even though it was already noon by the time I got out of the house.

I am using the Map My Walk app and entering my mileage manually on the Yes.Fit site. I don't have any of the fancy watches or Runkeepers to synch with the app, which is fine with me. Yes.Fit makes it easy for anyone to participate. At my age, I appreciate that!

After my walk, I entered my mileage and was shown on a Google map how far I walked, and I was able to click on Google Earth photos of where I started and ended. This just adds to the fun. There are so many more possibilities for the future. I can walk Scotland, the Great Pacific Highway, the Appalachian Trail, Tuscany, Napa Valley...so many more! And I'm thinking after completing this first race I might do the Gulliver's Travel race, and read the book along with it! 

Fitness suddenly got fun in a way I don't recall ever feeling before. Having some friends who are also doing these races helps. Motivation has been lacking for too long. This changed today.

And heck, I figured if I'm going to walk, why not get a medal? Here is the one I am working toward. The next time you see it, I will have it around my neck!!!

Ode to Christmas Spirit: a Nonet

I have been remiss in writing lately.  Today I decided I needed to correct it.

Last night I wrote about this experience in my Homework for Life notebook as the most story worthy moment of my day. Decided to make it a nonet and post it here.  I need to keep up with my practices to keep anxiety at bay and keep myself balanced. This is a step.

Driving back from the most relaxing

yoga class, listening to Christ-

mas music, and enjoying

the lighted houses on

McGregor, spirit

has taken hold 

and I am

grateful.

Thanks.