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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Into The Mystic M'ownday

The rain fell gently on the Aerie yesterday morning. I watched it begin like magic sparkles on the back deck, in early horizontal sunlight, before the clouds thickened and the drops became steady. I put the kettle on for a second cuppa, watching the wee hummers outside the window dart from feeder to feeder. An osprey alit in the big maple, sushi gripped tightly in his talons, and proceeded to chow-down. I focused the scope for a good close look at that beautiful white chest and dramatic stripe across the eyes.

While most dread Monday and the start of a new workweek, I declare it M’ownday to refill my spirit. When you juggle different jobs with no time clock to punch in and out, it’s important to carve what space you can for reconnecting and rest. Even with 24/7 caregiving, tasks can be moved around to give some necessary ease for one day a week.

Fellow Blogonia, Kim, gave me a wonderful present at the end of March. She sent (via email) an invitation. It was a poetry group’s challenge to write a poem each day for the month of April. I’ve been having a great time with it (thanks Kim!) and allowing the daily prompts to lead my mind where they will. Sunday’s was a gem…take a favourite song and write a poem.

Reading all the poems M'ownday morning, I began to think of how each of us has a personal “soundtrack” of songs in our lives and thought I’d share this challenge with you all. Pick three songs that would definitely be a part of your own soundtrack. You can just list them, or you can also say why you chose those particular ones. I know our lists can change from day-to-day, so I’m not asking anyone to sweat over the definitive three songs of your life. Relax your mind and let it float downstream. I’ll start us off.

“I’ll Be Seeing You”

I remember how this song affected my parents and their friends when I was a child. WWII was not far back in their memories and not a soul was unscathed by loss. The last line always gave me shivers. “…I’ll be looking at the moon…but I’ll be seeing you,” with that beautiful melody ending on a high, wistful note. Now that I’m older and have said goodbye to so many I have loved, the song grows ever deeper in my heart as comfort. Check out Lady Day's version sometime.

“Autumn Leaves”

This was a song my father used to sing, in his rich tenor voice. “The falling leaves drift by my window…the autumn leaves of red and gold…”
The mental picture of colour and movement was always so soothing. At the age of fifty-two, I’ve only just now added this song to my repetoire. I happen to love Eva Cassidy's rendition.

My third pick is perhaps one of my generation’s most favourite and meaningful songs…a song for M’ownday, packed with sweet memories made richer by pain and softer by time.

I know Van’s the Man but Joe Cocker is also cool and this is a lovely youtube to take you, “Into the Mystic.” Enjoy...and start thinking of the three you might pick.

11 comments:

Kim Thompson said...

Great post! Soundtracks of life? Songs of meaning? OMG...I could go on and on. But here's what come to my mind right away, this morning:

1. The Beatles, "Abbey Road." I can't pick one song, so I am doing the whole album. I played this album until it warped as a child, got a cassette and played it 'til it broke, and now have the CD. This was my childhood anthem. I know all of the songs by heart, word for word, even today. I loved the writing so much--I was quite the story writer as a kiddo and this music inspired me to no end. And the music seemed mystical and dreamy to me.

2. "Melt With You" by Modern English: this identifies my change from a kid to a teen to a young adult. It's very 80's, but the words to me are lovely, and I marked my transitions in growing up, liking boys, and eventually loving them.

3. "Waiting Room" by Fugazi. A quick, obscure, yet rocking song by this little band during the "grunge evolution" or slightly before. It's simple and it kicks! This reminds me of my early twenties and it's precisely about what the title reads, waiting!

Fun, fun, fun discussion!

Lorraine Hart said...

You know...I used to sing my kids to sleep with the second side of Abbey Road...and you're right...you can't separate it into songs...and we can all still hit the "bomp" at the end of "Her Majesty's a Pretty Nice Girl!"

Stephanie Frieze said...

Maybe we should make Mondays, Poetry Mondays.

The songs in my head vary from season to season, but Spring and Summer are usually sung to Seals & Croft "Humming Bird", "We May Never Pass This Way Again" and "Summer Breeze". The Stones are for cruising down the highway.

Lorraine Hart said...

Ah Seals & Crofts...great harmonies...some great lines..."blowin' through the jasmine of my mind..."

Road songs could be a whole different category...give me Paul Simon's "Obvious Child," with the great drums (though Joni did that first, on "Jungle Line") and...well...I have to keep a check on that speedometer! I remember crossing to the west of the mountains, listening to Buffy Ste. Marie's "I'm Goin' Home!" and who could ever forget the classic Grateful Dead, "Truckin'."
"...what a long, strange trip it's been...!"

Stephanie Frieze said...

Buffy St. Marie! There's an LP I need to dust off. She played at the Moore in about 1968. An article about her had appeared in Seventeen Magazine at that time and a bunch of us girls went to see her. Somewhere I have an underground newspaper she signed that night. Memories!

Kim Thompson said...

On side two of "Abbey Road," I remember how "Golden Slumbers" made me weep! It still makes me a little misty!

And I totally remember the "bomp" you talk about!

Sorry ladies, some of the folks/songs you are discussing, I just don't know. But the Grateful Dead--saw them at the Tacoma Dome in the late 80's. Now, that was a long strange trip.

Stephanie Frieze said...

Too good to not at least read, Kim.

Summer Breeze

See the curtains hangin' in the window, in the evenin' on a Friday night.
A little light a-shinin' through the window, lets me know everything is alright.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

See the paper layin' in the sidewalk, a little music from the house next door.
So I walked on up to the doorstep, through the screen and across the floor.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom. July is dressed up and playing her tune.
And I come home from a hard day's work, and you're waiting there, not a care in the world.
See the smile a-waitin' in the kitchen, food cookin' and the plates for two.
See the arms that reach out to hold me, in the evening when the day is through.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

And the Dead, well, they were more than a band.

JosephMcG said...

Paul Robeson poured cool ointment on my soul back in the sixties when I was feeling cut up and bleeding...
here are three: "What Is America To Me,"-- that was my question and he showed me that all of us, people of all races, doing so many things, were precious, precious, precious

"No More Auction Block," came to me so often when I just wanted to go along with the group, keep my eyes closed and my mouth shut, but choose not to do that... THANK GOD!

"Oh Freedom," after I had done my thing (rightly or wrongly) and was working through the consequences of saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, I hummed this one to myself: "before I'd be a slave, I'd be buried in my grave, and go home to my God, and be free..."

Robeson has seen me through some down times and some up times...
What a great souled man he was/is

Joseph

Stephanie Frieze said...

And what a wonderful voice he had, Joseph! If I thought of God as male and was going to cast the voice it would be between Paul Robeson and James Earl Jones.

Lorraine Hart said...

Don't worry Kim, I don't know who your second and third choices are! I was too busy working at making music to listen to a lot of the eighties bands.

Ah yes Joseph, the depth of Paul Robeson...both vocally and spiritually. I know you're a Lou Rawls fan too!

Okay...someone very now, so we don't get pegged as a bunch of ol' whatsits...gimme Rob Thomas' "I'm Not Crazy."

JosephMcG said...

Billie Holliday is way, way down inside of my soul...

Gloomy Sunday, God Bless the Child,

All our singers are joined with Lorraine and helping us to laugh when we need to laugh and cry when we need to cry

Joseph