Because of Love

I had a dream in which I

was playing an unbelievably

beautiful chord on the piano.

Two white notes were

played together as part of

the chord structure.

When I went to the piano

the next morning I tried

to recreate the sound,

but I couldn’t hear it.

Yet, I was haunted and finally

did compose a song and called it

Because of Love

~~~

Last week I began rereading SHUG,

the earlier version of the

“Confessions of a Blue Tomato” Memoir.

How authentic is this

writing, I mused, 

“This is the voice of love.”

Here’s the new Foreword,

"From the time I read Dear Store

(Rich’s Department Store)

to the reading of Driving Miss Daisy,

I’ve longed to write of the Atlanta I remember. 

Growing up in the 40’s,

a time of streetcars and blackouts,

the dusty playground of

Joel Chandler Harris

Elementary School

where soldiers from Fort McPherson

gave bouncy jeep rides

to school children during World War II. 

It’s a story about being an only child,

listening to the radio

collecting movie star photos,

and riding my bicycle to see

the Saturday movie Serials,

the smells of popcorn,

sticky floors and childish screams,

as the Mummy raised up out of his tomb

in the darkened Cascade Theater.

It’s a deep south '40's story of fresh peaches,

mimosa fronds, kudzu, Dutch Oven rolls,

Stone Mountain, Peachtree Street and the U.D.C

(United Daughters of the Confederacy).

It’s a city world, too,

growing up in the early days of television

and Stars of Tomorrow,

with the promise of an educational adventure

in drama at the University of Georgia.

And finally,

It’s a story in which our heroine

winds up as a gloved and girdled

girl of the 50’s,

miscast in the role of Betty Crocker.

~~~

Even so, it’s always been a story

about loving life

Amor Fati

(love your fate)

and loving to write about it

(Because of Love)

and write songs about.

This is a "crooner song"

for all of you who know that phrase.

I'd love for Frank Sinatra to sing it. 

stay tuned . . . 

scroll down for more posts

“I Am the Music”

“My Blue Tomato World”

====