Stain-glass Eyes

Weather watchers, temperature chanters, weekend planners. “It was suppose to be…”   “The weather report said…” Wind-chill -25, snow accumulates. Stubborn, denial walkers walk. High-heels, running shoes, wing-tips. Gloveless, mittenless, warmless. Why pretend they want their ears to turn bright red? Their hair to stand on end, with bitter cold? Why gawk at the wool, fur and scarf-clad walkers? Smirk at ear coverers, mitt wearers? Or tsk, tsk at sturdy boot wearers? Anti window scrapers, traffic menace makers. Windows left with ice. Crawlers, like moles in a tunnel. Steering wheel hoverers. “I can’t see a damn thing!” Trudging begrudging gripers. Stomp it, shovel fling it. Tip-toe over it, de-ice it! Snow keeps tumbling down, regardless. January snow speaks nothing of green. Whiter than “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” snow.  Fence topper, yard concealer, peace maker. Soundless, lim...

Sonya Schumann Before Dissertation Recital at U of M I’ve been practicing the song, Let It Go, from the movie, “Frozen”.  It’s a difficult process.  The first one being, “Letting it Go” and letting it be what it is, when it comes out.  Pride is a difficult thing to tame for a performer.  (or maybe for everyone)  I’m performing it for Holden’s Top-Surgery Extravaganza Campaign.  Holden is my son, and he performed it on Youtube.  Then Elizabeth, my daughter, performed it a week ago for the campaign, too.  It’s tough to follow the two of them, performing.  But, it’s been fun, too.  The process has been another humbling experience for me.  I record it tomorrow with Sonya Schumann, a close friend of Holden’s and an adopted daughter of mine.  She’s an accomplished pianist.  Sonya links for you:  http://www.umich.edu/~mtna/Members/Sonya.html   and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22GembPxYNc   ...

Graffiti on "The Wall" in Berlin (A place historically  blinded and deafened by "Rules") I’ve been thinking about the Big Bad Wolf.  Not the one from The Three Little Pigs. This is The Wolf blowing houses down left and right.  Especially anyone’s House of Creativity. “ Don’t think about making art, just get it done.  Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it.  While they are deciding, make even more art .”  Andy Warhol He’s relentless and has huge support from society.  The “Norms” from society give him full support when he calls out, “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll BLOW your house down!” RULES!  Written and unwritten! I can tell you, he’s mean-spirited and sneaky. A house of straw is nothing for him to demolish! He infiltrates my originality by whispering the rules society hands to him, readily.  He knows they work and when he’s ready to destroy, he’s already wea...