"Earth, Water, Sky" A Song for Japan

On this, the 66th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, by the United States, I wish I had a poem or essay or something intelligent to say on the matter. But, all I am today is feeling…feeling the sound, the ash, the shock, the grief--of families forever ruptured and touched by grief.

I think of a hymn that goes "…but other lands, have sunlight to and clover, and skies are everywhere as blue as mine. Oh hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations, a song of peace for their land and for mine."

So, while I have nothing to offer about the events of 66 years ago, I can offer this…

This past March, after the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, I wrote this song while driving in my car through the flat farmland and rolling forests of Ohio. Later, I picked up my guitar for the first time in 15 years or so, grabbed my laptop, and made a recording. It is very rough (I haven't sung in 15 years either) and will likely stay that way for, wisely, I gave up any ambitions of being a singer long ago. Still, it meant a lot to me to work through my feelings via music and I appreciate your listening. (Note: this appeared on Lucky Press's blog in March, but I hadn't put it here yet.)

Photos: All but four of the photos (two stormy sea photos, one with the silhouette of a bird flying, and one with clouds and tiny birds flying high, which are from a stock photo agency) were taken by me.

Please consider a contribution to a reputable charity to help the people of Japan. You can find a list on Charity Navigator at THIS LINK.

Psalm 121

My long-time friend, Katharine Pumphrey Knapp, recently posted a photo of the two of us in 1976 on Spring Break in Daytona Beach. At that time, Katharine and I often sang together and one song she accompanied my guitar and melody with her beautiful harmony was Psalm 121, which I had put to music in honor of my grandmother, Helen Greene, who passed away while I was in college.

The video below is the sound of my singing this Psalm in the early 1980s. The photos are just random scenery from Mark's and my home in Athens, because for some reason YouTube would not accept my video without graphic images in it...

I wish Katharine's voice was on here as well (she and her husband, Mike, just got a pro Karaoke machine, so I expect some tunes at some point coming from her!). I'm playing the guitar here too. The cassette tape held up pretty well for almost 20 years! Though, editor that I am, I wish I could "tweak" it just a bit!

Jessica Bell, who is a wonderful author with a forthcoming book from Lucky Press next year (the book is entitled "String Bridge" and LP is my publishing company) is also a lovely singer, a professional performer (unlike me!), and she has shared her music with me and her blog followers. She said she'd like to hear my voice, so Katharine, my "old" friend, and Jessica, my new friend, here it is!

PS: Mother, I finally figured out how to get those old songs on my computer!