Every day I remember
How easy it is to just type
Those letters that form your name
And find pages of you in an instant's fraction
Every day I remember
That when my fingers itch
To trace the familiar pattern on
Those keys
It is not you who will be present
Every day I am reminded
That absence was always there
And that the faux replacement
Never really took me from the shadows
Of longing
Every day I wonder
If I will finally give in
And dissolve my resolve
To not try to find you again
Every day your two syllables
Fall from my lips in whispers
Light as snow floating from the sky
Though my tongue bears the weight of
An avalanche of words unsaid
Every day
Another heart fills an empty space
That proves I have lasted
One more day without you
And
Every day
I wish that I didn't have to
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Selective Solidarity: The Problem with Praying (Just) for Paris
Some may think that this entry is "too soon" as it has been less than 24 hours since most of us here in the United States have heard about the attacks in Paris. However, I feel that it is precisely in these moments when, those of us who may not be so closely related to recent horrific events, need to have these conversations.
Scrolling through my social media feed, there are an overwhelming number of posts and notifications, not only of the attacks themselves, but of statements of solidarity people are showing for Paris. And it's beautiful. People are changing their profile pictures to show the colors of the French flag. Others are sharing photos of monuments and buildings around the world lit up in blue, white, and red. On and on, the message is: "We are with you. You are not alone in this." It's a wonderful sentiment, and it should not be entirely discarded.
And yet, where were the colors of the Beirut flag only a few days ago? Why weren't people en mass changing their profile pictures to those saying "Black Lives Matter" or posting numerous statuses about the actions of the students on the university campus in Missouri? Why is saying "Free Palestine" when Israeli attacks continue to occur, and Palestinian land is STILL being stolen, so controversial, but no one blinks an eye at "Pray for Paris"?
With the era we live in, where we are saturated with information, 24 hour "news" cycles, etc. it is easy to become overwhelmed. We cannot hold the pain of the world in a day. We need breaks. This is understandable. The human psyche can take only so much without completely unraveling.
Still, more often than not, there is the collective pattern here in the West to take a break from solidarity and compassion when brown people (or those perceived to be brown) are involved. When those from predominantly white countries experience the frailty and horror that so many others have already faced, the rest of the world seems to stand still. We give moments of silence. We send our prayers. We change our profile pictures and create hashtags. We stand with them. Because they're not "those other people." This is not to say that the latter is a thought that necessarily happens on a conscious level. Through decades and centuries of Western white supremacy, it has become ingrained into our dominant culture, and is now a subconsciously understood sentiment. And those who have it are not inherently "bad people" either. This is something I struggle with, too, as a white person from a Western country who has benefited from centuries of white supremacy. I turn my eyes away from the brown people suffering because "what else is new?" White country experiences terrorist attacks, and I'm glued to my newsfeed. This is not to detract from my own argument; on the contrary, I hope what I have just said will serve to validate it. We here in the West, especially us white folk, have a lot to work on when it comes to our solidarity with others. And this includes people in our own country that we have turned our backs on, time and again.
I currently work as an outpatient therapist in a community mental health organization. Being new to the field, one thing that I am working on, among many, is to allow for silence in my sessions with clients. Silence can be useful, and powerful, especially in the therapeutic relationship. Silence sometimes can, and often does, say more than words ever could. I am still learning this. In a similar vein, the silence we offer in solidarity with Western countries who experience tragedy speaks volumes, especially when compared to our silence of indifference toward the Global South. Our collective silence in either case is powerful. Our silence in either case can be used to solidify the barriers of awareness, compassion, and solidarity.
I often tell my clients that changing certain unhelpful cognitions in our brains is very much like trying to make a new path in a forest. Leveling the undergrowth enough to walk more easily takes time and effort, and must be constant. The same is true for our consciousness, both individually and collectively. We must work on ourselves to create new pathways of thinking, and in order to do this, we have to give pause and consider why we are choosing to pay attention to and validate the experience of one group more so than another. We have to challenge the media who barrage us with stories that reinforce Western white supremacy, but are then silent (or very near silent) when it comes to stories that don't fit into that narrative. We have to question why "All Lives Matter" can feel so comfortable and right to some of us, and why saying "Black Lives Matter" or "Trans Lives Matter" can feel as though we are participating in "discrimination." And in this instance, we must ask: "Why pray just for Paris?"
What happened in Paris last night was horrific and deplorable. No one should have to go through that. And the same can be said for a multitude of instances throughout the world, including some more recent events in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Beirut. No one should have to be a refugee and experience the constant terror of uncertainty.
By all means, pray for Paris. Give a moment of silence in solidarity. But let us remember, too, that there are many others who deserve our prayers, and who deserve more than our silent indifference.
Scrolling through my social media feed, there are an overwhelming number of posts and notifications, not only of the attacks themselves, but of statements of solidarity people are showing for Paris. And it's beautiful. People are changing their profile pictures to show the colors of the French flag. Others are sharing photos of monuments and buildings around the world lit up in blue, white, and red. On and on, the message is: "We are with you. You are not alone in this." It's a wonderful sentiment, and it should not be entirely discarded.
And yet, where were the colors of the Beirut flag only a few days ago? Why weren't people en mass changing their profile pictures to those saying "Black Lives Matter" or posting numerous statuses about the actions of the students on the university campus in Missouri? Why is saying "Free Palestine" when Israeli attacks continue to occur, and Palestinian land is STILL being stolen, so controversial, but no one blinks an eye at "Pray for Paris"?
With the era we live in, where we are saturated with information, 24 hour "news" cycles, etc. it is easy to become overwhelmed. We cannot hold the pain of the world in a day. We need breaks. This is understandable. The human psyche can take only so much without completely unraveling.
Still, more often than not, there is the collective pattern here in the West to take a break from solidarity and compassion when brown people (or those perceived to be brown) are involved. When those from predominantly white countries experience the frailty and horror that so many others have already faced, the rest of the world seems to stand still. We give moments of silence. We send our prayers. We change our profile pictures and create hashtags. We stand with them. Because they're not "those other people." This is not to say that the latter is a thought that necessarily happens on a conscious level. Through decades and centuries of Western white supremacy, it has become ingrained into our dominant culture, and is now a subconsciously understood sentiment. And those who have it are not inherently "bad people" either. This is something I struggle with, too, as a white person from a Western country who has benefited from centuries of white supremacy. I turn my eyes away from the brown people suffering because "what else is new?" White country experiences terrorist attacks, and I'm glued to my newsfeed. This is not to detract from my own argument; on the contrary, I hope what I have just said will serve to validate it. We here in the West, especially us white folk, have a lot to work on when it comes to our solidarity with others. And this includes people in our own country that we have turned our backs on, time and again.
I currently work as an outpatient therapist in a community mental health organization. Being new to the field, one thing that I am working on, among many, is to allow for silence in my sessions with clients. Silence can be useful, and powerful, especially in the therapeutic relationship. Silence sometimes can, and often does, say more than words ever could. I am still learning this. In a similar vein, the silence we offer in solidarity with Western countries who experience tragedy speaks volumes, especially when compared to our silence of indifference toward the Global South. Our collective silence in either case is powerful. Our silence in either case can be used to solidify the barriers of awareness, compassion, and solidarity.
I often tell my clients that changing certain unhelpful cognitions in our brains is very much like trying to make a new path in a forest. Leveling the undergrowth enough to walk more easily takes time and effort, and must be constant. The same is true for our consciousness, both individually and collectively. We must work on ourselves to create new pathways of thinking, and in order to do this, we have to give pause and consider why we are choosing to pay attention to and validate the experience of one group more so than another. We have to challenge the media who barrage us with stories that reinforce Western white supremacy, but are then silent (or very near silent) when it comes to stories that don't fit into that narrative. We have to question why "All Lives Matter" can feel so comfortable and right to some of us, and why saying "Black Lives Matter" or "Trans Lives Matter" can feel as though we are participating in "discrimination." And in this instance, we must ask: "Why pray just for Paris?"
What happened in Paris last night was horrific and deplorable. No one should have to go through that. And the same can be said for a multitude of instances throughout the world, including some more recent events in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Beirut. No one should have to be a refugee and experience the constant terror of uncertainty.
By all means, pray for Paris. Give a moment of silence in solidarity. But let us remember, too, that there are many others who deserve our prayers, and who deserve more than our silent indifference.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
I Shouldn't Be Here: Parallels of "Your House" and the Age of Stexing
*A brief note before reading: I recognize that the occurrence of actual online stalking or cyberstalking--that of unwanted attention and harassment online by a former lover, acquaintance, or stranger--is very real, and can be very traumatizing. If this is happening to you or someone you know, please seek help and support. You can find more information here and here*
I first heard "Your House" off of Alanis Morrisette's "Jagged Little Pill" well over 15 years ago as a teenager in my friend's bedroom. After having listened to the major tracks of the album, the hidden track didn't hit me with any intensity at the time, possibly due to my own naivete about the tumultuous and dangerous compulsions of love and attraction. However, yesterday morning, as I scrolled through my social media newsfeed, I happened upon an article mentioning the album's 20th anniversary. I allowed myself to enter the raw and intense song once again, not realizing at the time that I might as well have expected to walk through fire unscathed.
I wasn't prepared, even with the explicit warning of the article itself, since I merely thought it was more internet hype to be ignored. The song is already uncomfortable in the explicitness of the lyrics--or more accurately, the explicitness of the act being carried out--yet it is also uncomfortable because of the familiarity of strong, unrequited desire. It is quite possible that this is all a scenario being played out in the singer's mind, and that she hasn't actually chosen to violate the physical boundaries of her desired lover.
All the same, I felt ripped open by the song's conclusion, and cried tears of recognition. On some level, I identified with the lyrics, but not because I had ever done those things--not in any physical way. However, upon further reflection, I could not help but think about the parallel that could be drawn between the act of entering someone's physical house with that of entering someone's virtual house (i.e. their online existence).
Much has been written about--somewhat seriously, somewhat satirically--the online "stalking" of one's ex, or as I like to call it, "stexing." It has become a norm that no one really likes to admit to doing, and yet most people seem to engage in, especially in the first stages of a breakup. We know it's not good for us, and there's even proof that it can inhibit our ability to move on with our lives (see linked articles above). And yet, we still do it, albeit in varying degrees of intensity.
I went to your house
Walked up the stairs
I opened your door without ringing the bell
I walked down the hall
Into your room
Where I could smell you
And I shouldn't be here, without permissionI shouldn't be here
Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. have become both the unlocked door and the house(s) in which we live. (Also, I did wonder why the door in the song was unlocked in the first place. Then I realized that it could be because Morrisette is from Canada.) We go into our exes' "rooms", smelling out their presence, smelling out the clues of their lives. And we know we shouldn't. Not because we don't have permission--we DO have tacit permission due to the permissiveness of the web (save private or even blocked profiles). We know we shouldn't engage in stexing because it drives us further into our own personal hell, and it takes more than it gives. Still, we live for those bits (or bytes?) of cyber crumbs because we get that jolt, that bit of fuel we need to keep the flame of hope burning, no matter how false that hope may be.
I took off my clothes
Put on your robe
I went through your drawers
And found your cologne
Went down to the den
Found your CD's
And I played your Joni
And I shouldn't stay long, you might be home soon
I shouldn't stay long
We already spend countless hours on our computers--at work, on our way to work and home, and at home. The internet is our world, the facets of our profiles--status updates, tweets, pins--are our drawers and cd's (or vinyl, if you so choose). Stexing is yet another time suck--and we shouldn't stay long. But maybe it's because of the anonymity, or the appearance of anonymity, that allows us to relax into the rut of emotional stagnation for countless, indeterminate periods of time. There's no one to watch for to come in through the door and discover us in the midst of our online rummaging.
But then the flame of hope turns to an inferno, and we get burned.
I burned your incense
I ran a bath
I noticed a letter that sat on your desk
It said "Hello love, I love you so love, meet me at midnight"
And no, it wasn't my writing
I'd better go soon
It wasn't my writing
So forgive me love
If I cry in your shower
So forgive me love
For the salt in your bed
So forgive me love
If I cry all afternoon
That moment when you see your ex's relationship status change. When your mouth goes dry, the lump forms in your throat, the heart drops to stomach and stomach falls to your feet, as you see their profile picture change from just them to them with someone else...who isn't you. Or when you see a status update that tags your replacement, paired with words of love and affection. Or you see them pin a quote about love that is exactly how you felt (or maybe even still feel) about them, and realize it's about their love for their partner.
Time to go. You haven't been found out, but you have just found out more than you bargained for, and it's hard not to feel exposed. All of your flights of fancy wither in the light of reality, and you are left feeling empty, dried up, used. Nothing a good cry in the shower won't alleviate. Until the next time.
I first heard "Your House" off of Alanis Morrisette's "Jagged Little Pill" well over 15 years ago as a teenager in my friend's bedroom. After having listened to the major tracks of the album, the hidden track didn't hit me with any intensity at the time, possibly due to my own naivete about the tumultuous and dangerous compulsions of love and attraction. However, yesterday morning, as I scrolled through my social media newsfeed, I happened upon an article mentioning the album's 20th anniversary. I allowed myself to enter the raw and intense song once again, not realizing at the time that I might as well have expected to walk through fire unscathed.
I wasn't prepared, even with the explicit warning of the article itself, since I merely thought it was more internet hype to be ignored. The song is already uncomfortable in the explicitness of the lyrics--or more accurately, the explicitness of the act being carried out--yet it is also uncomfortable because of the familiarity of strong, unrequited desire. It is quite possible that this is all a scenario being played out in the singer's mind, and that she hasn't actually chosen to violate the physical boundaries of her desired lover.
All the same, I felt ripped open by the song's conclusion, and cried tears of recognition. On some level, I identified with the lyrics, but not because I had ever done those things--not in any physical way. However, upon further reflection, I could not help but think about the parallel that could be drawn between the act of entering someone's physical house with that of entering someone's virtual house (i.e. their online existence).
Much has been written about--somewhat seriously, somewhat satirically--the online "stalking" of one's ex, or as I like to call it, "stexing." It has become a norm that no one really likes to admit to doing, and yet most people seem to engage in, especially in the first stages of a breakup. We know it's not good for us, and there's even proof that it can inhibit our ability to move on with our lives (see linked articles above). And yet, we still do it, albeit in varying degrees of intensity.
I went to your house
Walked up the stairs
I opened your door without ringing the bell
I walked down the hall
Into your room
Where I could smell you
And I shouldn't be here, without permissionI shouldn't be here
Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. have become both the unlocked door and the house(s) in which we live. (Also, I did wonder why the door in the song was unlocked in the first place. Then I realized that it could be because Morrisette is from Canada.) We go into our exes' "rooms", smelling out their presence, smelling out the clues of their lives. And we know we shouldn't. Not because we don't have permission--we DO have tacit permission due to the permissiveness of the web (save private or even blocked profiles). We know we shouldn't engage in stexing because it drives us further into our own personal hell, and it takes more than it gives. Still, we live for those bits (or bytes?) of cyber crumbs because we get that jolt, that bit of fuel we need to keep the flame of hope burning, no matter how false that hope may be.
I took off my clothes
Put on your robe
I went through your drawers
And found your cologne
Went down to the den
Found your CD's
And I played your Joni
And I shouldn't stay long, you might be home soon
I shouldn't stay long
We already spend countless hours on our computers--at work, on our way to work and home, and at home. The internet is our world, the facets of our profiles--status updates, tweets, pins--are our drawers and cd's (or vinyl, if you so choose). Stexing is yet another time suck--and we shouldn't stay long. But maybe it's because of the anonymity, or the appearance of anonymity, that allows us to relax into the rut of emotional stagnation for countless, indeterminate periods of time. There's no one to watch for to come in through the door and discover us in the midst of our online rummaging.
But then the flame of hope turns to an inferno, and we get burned.
I burned your incense
I ran a bath
I noticed a letter that sat on your desk
It said "Hello love, I love you so love, meet me at midnight"
And no, it wasn't my writing
I'd better go soon
It wasn't my writing
So forgive me love
If I cry in your shower
So forgive me love
For the salt in your bed
So forgive me love
If I cry all afternoon
Time to go. You haven't been found out, but you have just found out more than you bargained for, and it's hard not to feel exposed. All of your flights of fancy wither in the light of reality, and you are left feeling empty, dried up, used. Nothing a good cry in the shower won't alleviate. Until the next time.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Acronyms of Old
Every once in a while I look back at some of the stuff I wrote years ago. It's funny how I might have written something at one time and thought, "Meh, it's ok." only to go back later and think, "Wow! This was actually really good!" Hence tonight's entry. I wrote these acronyms about five years ago. The context doesn't really matter, but let's just say...I was upset. So, without further ado...
Hella
Upset
Regarding
Treatment
Courage
Of
Which
Abundance
Reportedly
Diminished
Frustration
Ultimately
Concerning
Kicking
Your
Obstructive
Underlings
Label
Indicating
Embellishment
Made
Altogether
Distraught
Particularly
Irritated
Sentiment
Sustained
Especially
Demonstrably
Acrimonious
Nature
Gaining
Ebullient
Rage
Hella
Upset
Regarding
Treatment
Courage
Of
Which
Abundance
Reportedly
Diminished
Frustration
Ultimately
Concerning
Kicking
Your
Obstructive
Underlings
Label
Indicating
Embellishment
Made
Altogether
Distraught
Particularly
Irritated
Sentiment
Sustained
Especially
Demonstrably
Acrimonious
Nature
Gaining
Ebullient
Rage
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Unknown Connection
This is a poem that I wrote the other night after receiving confirmation that someone I knew a long time ago was here on the east coast. I had sensed his presence without any other evidence, save only my own intuition. (This is not the first time this has happened with him.) The confirmation, while it should have been reassuring, threw me into more internal chaos, not less. I suspect this was because while it was still only my intuition it was safe...I didn't have to do anything with it. I just let it be. But now since I know that I was right, it's difficult to know what to do with this, if anything.
Anyway, some notes before reading: there's a part in the poem where I talk about "seismic waves of elephants." This refers to the not-so-well-known fact that elephants can communicate to a certain degree using seismic vibration. There have been studies that have shown that these vibrations can be felt as much as 20 miles away. There's also a nod to The Little Prince...see if you can find it. Finally, as I was writing this post and seeking an image to accompany it, I found that there is a word in Hebrew, Mizpah, which, although it is not its literal definition, apparently refers to a connection between two people who are separated--either physically or by death. In this case, I'd say that's an accurate description. So, should I maybe change the title?...
How cruel it is to feel without seeing
To know without knowing
To hear without fully comprehending.
I felt your presence with a resounding "yes"
That vibrated like a gentle hum within my bones.
Your visage never appeared before me except in
Daylight dreams
But your vibration I felt like seismic waves of elephants.
The certainty of yes faded like ripples in a shallow pool
And questions were answered only in echo.
I accepted your absence, only to feel a shadow cross
My threshold again.
The warmth of yes now replaced by a cold fog of maybe...
And confirmation came by way of a green door and I
Became undone.
I shook and trembled with the fearful certainty that once again
Connection
Is no figment of the
Imagination.
It is a stronghold in the endless storms of
Space and time.
Its light shines invisible in the drab darkness of the
Ordinary,
And shouts into ears gone deaf from
Disbelief.
You, at some time, awakened me to myself--
Connected me
With some other that was
Known
And yet unknown--
That was you.
That I cannot un-know because it is forever tied to
Now.
That I cannot unsee because it gave me my
Vision.
But now I am bereft because I am able to
Know
But not explain...
I can see, but cannot describe--
All words fall
Mute in the attempt.
My heart sees with clarity the essential
Though reason sees fit to blind with
Denial.
But now reason can rest in what my soul knew,
Leaving me to lie awake in a new
Unknown.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Bye Bye Blackbird: Memories of a Mad Englishman
I was probably three when I first heard his voice at a wedding when You Are So Beautiful played during the first dance, though I have no recollection of it occurring. I definitely heard his voice during the opening credits of The Wonder Years back in the late 80s, but I still had not been fully awakened. I didn't know it at the time, but I had also heard him sing When a Woman Loves a Man on the Bull Durham soundtrack. It wasn't until I was nine that I knowingly fell in love with Joe Cocker.
I was in my dad's living room, settling in for a card game, and Dad put on Joe's Greatest Hits album. When those opening guitar chords of With A Little Help from My Friends hit, I immediately recognized it as The Wonder Years theme song. Although I was engrossed in the game at hand, a part of me was soaking in this soulful yet gritty voice. It screamed and howled like a wild beast, yet at times it could be soothing, deep, and rich. But it wasn't just his voice. It was how it melded with the music, and how everything he did he made his own. (I didn't know at the time that almost all Joe did was covers. For the longest time I thought he wrote the song that he is so famous for covering.) The days that followed would find me plugging in the headphones to my dad's stereo and practically blasting my ears off (along with dancing my nine year old tail off) to tracks like Cry Me a River, Feeling Alright, and Delta Lady. (I was particularly fond of the latter due to the guitar riff near the end where my left shoulder would give a little shimmy.) I lost track of how many years I listened to that album on repeat, but it remained a constant favorite.
I can still remember that moment when, not long after my new found fandom, I was watching Sleepless in Seattle for the first time. There's that one scene of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan each walking alone on their separate coasts, and Bye Bye Blackbird seems to say everything that a script cannot, and never could. Being ten years old at the time, however, I could not feel the depth of emotion that the scene evoked. But I recognized the voice, and that was enough. It wasn't the screaming wolfman with persistent drum beats, wailing organs, and growling guitars; it was the man behind the animal: mournful, soulful, and beautifully brokenhearted. "No one seems to love or understand me," his rich voiced lamented, and somehow, even at the tender age of ten, I felt like I understood what he meant.
In middle school I brought home a cassette tape with him on the cover: a little shaggy in the hair and the just-grown-in beard on his face. His appearance and expression is not unlike that of a dog that's been on the streets for far too long, yet is still looking for his master: hardened by the road, yet still soft behind the eyes. Little did I know, but I found what I believe to be one of his best albums. Other than You Are So Beautiful, "I Can Stand A Little Rain" yielded no other hit. Yet, I wore that tape out, falling asleep night after night to tracks like Don't Forget Me, Performance, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and Guilty. It is decidedly a more mellow album with only a few tracks that are dedicated to his more rock and roll roots. But it's also an all around consistently good album, with only a couple of odd tracks. I love it precisely because, overall, it doesn't try to be something that it's not. It's just Joe doing what he did best: interpreting the works of others and making them his own. (Side note: the album was released 40 years ago this year.)
Strangely enough, dedicated fan as I was, I had yet to see any recordings or footage of one of his performances. It wasn't until I was in high school when I happened upon a PBS showing of "Woodstock" that I finally caught a glimpse of the man behind the voice. I was both appalled and mystified by what I saw. I tried to take in what I was watching: a man who looked like he was on the verge of a drunken collapse, with uncoordinated bodily contortions, and a face that seemed like it was possessed by some underworld entity; yet he could hit every note and musical phrase with perfect timing and expression, not to mention his voice was so completely and totally present (if not altogether coherent in its annunciation). My viewing of the performer did not change my love for the singer; it just gave me a more complete picture, and later, an appreciation for the artist as a whole.
In college I finally acquired the album that he is probably best known for, and which helped rocket him to fame in the 1970s: Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Here again, I found myself gyrating in my room to my heart's content to songs like Honkey Tonk Woman and Sticks and Stones, along with live versions of Feeling Alright and Delta Lady. I also found myself being lulled to sleep with his and Leon Russell's rendition of Bob Dylan's Girl from the North Country. In particular, Joe's under-phrasing for the verse about his love having a coat so warm was goosebump inducing in its tenderness and longing. Finally, the track Space Captain contained both the screaming soulfulness of Joe, the playfulness of Leon Russell's piano as well as the backup singers' intermittent "woos" and "ahhs" that made it one of the most enjoyable tracks of the album. In addition, it contained a message straight out of the decade that they had just left behind: we gotta learn how to live together till we die. It's as true then as it is now, though the level of optimism seems to have diminished significantly over the years. Even so, the sentiment and energy contained within the track has not diminished even after 40 years.
I'm not sure why, but it seems to be my habit in life to approach things backwards. (Just ask me about how I ended up reading the Harry Potter series.) Joe's debut album was the last of his that I bought, and it was largely due to happenstance. Had it not been for Change in Louise coming up in my search for tracks by the artist, "With a Little Help from My Friends" might not have shown up on my radar. It is probably my least favorite of his albums that I own, though it's not without appreciation. His cover of I Shall Be Released is the stuff of end-of-life send off unlike any other, and seems a more than fitting track to acknowledge when remembering a man whose voice was simultaneously ethereal and nearly-six-feet deeply rooted in the earth. It is the epitome of his gift: to breathe a life and a soul into what was already beautiful, and make it a new being to behold.
Joe Cocker, the mad Englishman and the broken soul man, has followed me throughout my life, even before I knew who he was. His music was his gift to everyone who would listen, and has been part of my personal soundtrack on so many occasions, more than I can count or remember here. I held no interest in his most recent releases, preferring to remain instead in the annals of his hey-day for the most part, so I cannot say that I will miss him in the sense of feeling the loss of potential new creations. But I say I mourn his passing because the presence of one who brought so much light and uniqueness to the world of music is now gone, and I wish he knew how we are all the better just from him showing up.
I was in my dad's living room, settling in for a card game, and Dad put on Joe's Greatest Hits album. When those opening guitar chords of With A Little Help from My Friends hit, I immediately recognized it as The Wonder Years theme song. Although I was engrossed in the game at hand, a part of me was soaking in this soulful yet gritty voice. It screamed and howled like a wild beast, yet at times it could be soothing, deep, and rich. But it wasn't just his voice. It was how it melded with the music, and how everything he did he made his own. (I didn't know at the time that almost all Joe did was covers. For the longest time I thought he wrote the song that he is so famous for covering.) The days that followed would find me plugging in the headphones to my dad's stereo and practically blasting my ears off (along with dancing my nine year old tail off) to tracks like Cry Me a River, Feeling Alright, and Delta Lady. (I was particularly fond of the latter due to the guitar riff near the end where my left shoulder would give a little shimmy.) I lost track of how many years I listened to that album on repeat, but it remained a constant favorite.
I can still remember that moment when, not long after my new found fandom, I was watching Sleepless in Seattle for the first time. There's that one scene of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan each walking alone on their separate coasts, and Bye Bye Blackbird seems to say everything that a script cannot, and never could. Being ten years old at the time, however, I could not feel the depth of emotion that the scene evoked. But I recognized the voice, and that was enough. It wasn't the screaming wolfman with persistent drum beats, wailing organs, and growling guitars; it was the man behind the animal: mournful, soulful, and beautifully brokenhearted. "No one seems to love or understand me," his rich voiced lamented, and somehow, even at the tender age of ten, I felt like I understood what he meant.
In middle school I brought home a cassette tape with him on the cover: a little shaggy in the hair and the just-grown-in beard on his face. His appearance and expression is not unlike that of a dog that's been on the streets for far too long, yet is still looking for his master: hardened by the road, yet still soft behind the eyes. Little did I know, but I found what I believe to be one of his best albums. Other than You Are So Beautiful, "I Can Stand A Little Rain" yielded no other hit. Yet, I wore that tape out, falling asleep night after night to tracks like Don't Forget Me, Performance, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and Guilty. It is decidedly a more mellow album with only a few tracks that are dedicated to his more rock and roll roots. But it's also an all around consistently good album, with only a couple of odd tracks. I love it precisely because, overall, it doesn't try to be something that it's not. It's just Joe doing what he did best: interpreting the works of others and making them his own. (Side note: the album was released 40 years ago this year.)
Strangely enough, dedicated fan as I was, I had yet to see any recordings or footage of one of his performances. It wasn't until I was in high school when I happened upon a PBS showing of "Woodstock" that I finally caught a glimpse of the man behind the voice. I was both appalled and mystified by what I saw. I tried to take in what I was watching: a man who looked like he was on the verge of a drunken collapse, with uncoordinated bodily contortions, and a face that seemed like it was possessed by some underworld entity; yet he could hit every note and musical phrase with perfect timing and expression, not to mention his voice was so completely and totally present (if not altogether coherent in its annunciation). My viewing of the performer did not change my love for the singer; it just gave me a more complete picture, and later, an appreciation for the artist as a whole.
In college I finally acquired the album that he is probably best known for, and which helped rocket him to fame in the 1970s: Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Here again, I found myself gyrating in my room to my heart's content to songs like Honkey Tonk Woman and Sticks and Stones, along with live versions of Feeling Alright and Delta Lady. I also found myself being lulled to sleep with his and Leon Russell's rendition of Bob Dylan's Girl from the North Country. In particular, Joe's under-phrasing for the verse about his love having a coat so warm was goosebump inducing in its tenderness and longing. Finally, the track Space Captain contained both the screaming soulfulness of Joe, the playfulness of Leon Russell's piano as well as the backup singers' intermittent "woos" and "ahhs" that made it one of the most enjoyable tracks of the album. In addition, it contained a message straight out of the decade that they had just left behind: we gotta learn how to live together till we die. It's as true then as it is now, though the level of optimism seems to have diminished significantly over the years. Even so, the sentiment and energy contained within the track has not diminished even after 40 years.
I'm not sure why, but it seems to be my habit in life to approach things backwards. (Just ask me about how I ended up reading the Harry Potter series.) Joe's debut album was the last of his that I bought, and it was largely due to happenstance. Had it not been for Change in Louise coming up in my search for tracks by the artist, "With a Little Help from My Friends" might not have shown up on my radar. It is probably my least favorite of his albums that I own, though it's not without appreciation. His cover of I Shall Be Released is the stuff of end-of-life send off unlike any other, and seems a more than fitting track to acknowledge when remembering a man whose voice was simultaneously ethereal and nearly-six-feet deeply rooted in the earth. It is the epitome of his gift: to breathe a life and a soul into what was already beautiful, and make it a new being to behold.
Joe Cocker, the mad Englishman and the broken soul man, has followed me throughout my life, even before I knew who he was. His music was his gift to everyone who would listen, and has been part of my personal soundtrack on so many occasions, more than I can count or remember here. I held no interest in his most recent releases, preferring to remain instead in the annals of his hey-day for the most part, so I cannot say that I will miss him in the sense of feeling the loss of potential new creations. But I say I mourn his passing because the presence of one who brought so much light and uniqueness to the world of music is now gone, and I wish he knew how we are all the better just from him showing up.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Two and One
2
0
1
0
Twenty
And ten.
Two
And one.
Adding up to three.
You
Her
And me.
Me came early,
And you just in time. . .
But you couldn’t stay.
Your heart pulled away,
And left mine with all the weight to carry.
Two zero one zero.
The heaviness of that year still aches
In my memory.
A dead
Weight.
I languished over our death
While you left
And met
Her.
I let go
And five months was all it took
For you to live again.
Timing is everything, it seems.
But time has erased nothing.
Time has bored
Into my skin each passing year…
One
Two
Three…
And now four.
You
This weight
This scar
Lives in my bones,
And I was but a scratch on your surface.
Ten and twenty
The number of days I anticipated it would take
To get you out of my system.
The hurt wasn’t the worst.
It was more.
It was deep,
But not deeply felt.
For months I dwelt
On the unfairness of the hand
I was dealt.
Yelled
Cried
Screamed
Kicked,
Because what was more unfair
Than you never loving,
Never wanting,
Was the grief that I had to bear.
I resented its presence most of all.
So I left it,
Like you did me,
Like I did you.
And it has found me here,
In a year
Too far removed
From there.
Two
And none
One
And four.
Here I sit,
Bringing you back…
Doing what I should have done before.
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