The refrigerator adventure continues

Prismacolor drawing: cedar waxwing, circa 1999

This morning I was wakened to the sound of the kid from upstairs moving their stuff around the entrance hall, which is located beneath my bedroom. If you have known me for more than a year you will understand how surprised and grateful I was. Let's just say his family is less than responsible.

So I got up and cleared a few of my own things out of the upper hallway. For the time being I'm practically barricaded into my office. But the most annoying task was picking all the magnetic poetry off the freezer door.

When Ivan, the freezer guy showed up, he used a tape measure to show me there's not enough room to get my old fridge around the banister. How somebody got it upstairs is anybody's guess. I figure they lifted it over the banister, but it would be insane for anyone to try repeating that. So Ivan has to talk to the landlord about removing some trim, which means the job might not get done until Monday.

Ivan has salt-and-pepper hair in a long ponytail, a goatee and glasses, and an abrupt but amiable manner. He smells of pipe tobacco. I can be patient.





( About the drawing and tattoo design )

Poem of songs

Tomorrow is the Rainbow Chorus's all-day rehearsal in preparation for our concert on April 23. It will mark the chorus's tenth anniversary. I joined for the first time in September 1996. Out of 50 voices currently in the choir, only about four have sung longer than me! I think this will be my favourite concert ever, partly because 10 of the 12 songs were picked from our previous repertoire.

To mark this occasion I have composed a poem using a phrase from each of the songs we're practicing, one line per song. Some are obscure, although my friends in the gay choral movement might recognize several. But at least half the songs come from popular repertoire. How many can you identify?

~~~~~~~~~~

many trees to make a forest.
if you cut it down you'll never know ("Colors of the Wind", gmjambear)
it doesn't matter what you wear ("Dancing in the Street", bigmacbear)
and this is why my eyes are closed

all the things I could do, if I had a little money (ABBA, "Money, Money, Money," stealthpup)
drink my cider from an old fruit jar ("Blue Suede Shoes", kwintt)
and call for help, alas! but none comes nigh me
my soul finds primal eloquence ("Sing Me To Heaven", bigmacbear)

a brave child calls out to the crowd ("The Great Peace March" by Holly Near, bigmacbear)
is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors? ("The Rainbow Connection", bigmacbear)
help them to believe as they are praying
when your dreams sleep, learn to let go

as if a child could tell us why ("We Rise Again", bigmacbear)
ee go ee gannay
we share the sky, we share the sun
and a band of many colours is riding the sky ("Arise, My Love", bigmacbear)