Barefoot Soldier Video

My video "Barefoot Soldier" was
completed late last night and uploaded to YouTube. By this
afternoon...I was pleasantly
surprised to find three comments about this song. Here are some words from this song...
which when I first wrote it...I was going to call..."The War of Love"...but chose the subtler title
..."Barefoot Soldier": "This field of broken things will be...a field
of flowers again...These eyes will someday see the sun...shine
through the morning rain...These wounds of war will someday
heal...just wait and see...And you will share with someone new...
the shade under the tender tree...".
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Appealing Accents

Tonight...I've been surfing the net. Returned to the Live Ireland site which I hadn't listened to for
a while. Was good to hear that
accent that I love listening to.
Why is it that some accents...
speaking the language you speak
...can be irritating...or harsh...
and others so pleasing to the ear?. I
guess like so much else in life...
it's an individual taste thing...but for me the Irish way of speaking English...I like...and when I have the time...I might
tune into an Irish internet station...sometimes...just to hear that
accent again...and not necessarily the up tempo fiddle tunes...
sometimes prevalent on such a station. The Irish music that I
really like...are the slow haunting songs...that I could listen to...
on and on. I once called them..."the bottomless songs of Ireland". On that note..."the top o' the evening to you!".
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Peace Be With You-2

[From song: "Peace Be With You"-Copyright-SOCAN]
"We sail on the same deep endless sea...Peace be with you...
You are keeper of the light like me...Peace be with you...
And like me you try to catch the sun...as it flies away from you...
And your work is never done..."
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You Can't Judge A Book

Went to Chinatown this afternoon with a relative of mine. There...I went to the shop
where I've been getting my
Chinese worker's caps. The woman there recognised me. Both my relative and myself
bought a cap. A couple years ago
someone at a gathering...engaged me in conversation...swearing he knew what my political affiliation
must be. For a moment I was puzzled by his certainty...then he
explained..."but I've always seen you wearing those caps!". I
said something about books and their covers...then I went on my way. Seems he wasn't dissuaded by anything I said...and two
weeks later...I received a newspaper from him...published by
those of his political belonging. Regardless...I still like those caps............................Quester.

You Only Live Once

This morning I finished a video
called "Oleander and Frangipani"...which is also the
name of the poem in it. These
names refer to two of the flowers...that were central to my
youth in Guyana. In this video...
I stepped way out of my comfort
zone...and did a little fun dance
to a steel drum version of one of my melodies. For years I've stood behind a guitar...and performed my songs...that I would say is inside my comfort zone...doing a little dance...recorded...and uploaded to YouTube
...is light years away from that. All I can say in defence of my taking such a risk is..."you only live once...so...check things out
...that you've never done before...every so often". As it is I am very fond of dancing...so why not include it as part of my
expressions...on YouTube?...Why not have a little fun?.
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Looking At Old Photographs

Have been looking through
pictures of a long gone era in my
life for the last few days...in order to find some for possible
use in a video I'm working on.
It is...of course...an emotional thing...looking at pictures of a
you that's long gone...and won't be returning...and also of people
who you are related to...and no
longer walk this Earth. Among many things...it is a reminder...to
appreciate people...while they are still here...and not wait until
there are only pictures of them left...for you to look at...and be
reminded of their absence. On the other hand...at these times...
you can be reminded of the beauty and the courage...of those
who have moved on...and hold on to that reminder...rather than
dwell too long...on their absence.
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Writing Well vs. Having Something To Say

Just returned from a poetry
gathering tonight. Listened to several poets...and read a couple poems myself. There was a group of teenage poets reading
...who showed a lot of promise. I
hope they maintain their obvious enthusiasm for writing
through the years to come. During the evening I experienced something that's happened before at poetry
gatherings. Some of the time I would listen to a poem...and throughout...it seemed to be well written...but at the end of it...
I would ask myself..."what was that about?". Reminds me of
something I've said in the past...it's that writing well is one thing
...but having something to say is quite another. Perhaps...I may
have illustrated that already in this piece...although I'm not sure
how well it's written...so I better "cease and desist" right now.
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Browsing For Songs

I've been pleasantly surprised
recently...when I've typed in the
name of an artist...or song...into
YouTube search...and actually
found...songs...or artists...too long absent from my life. Going
that route...I've found...Jacques
Brel...Lara Fabian...Eva Cassidy
...Amalia Rodrigues...and songs
like...Estrellita...Shenandoah...
The Water is Wide...and more. There have been some songs
that have been elusive. When I started singing...before I had
started to write songs...there was a core group of folk or folk blues songs I used to do. One of them had the line..."If I had
wings like Noah's dove...I'd fly up the river...to the one I love".
I looked for this song under the name "Noah's Dove"...but didn't
find it. Perhaps in one of my browsings...it'll turn up under
some other name. Fortunately...these days...since this new "searching for songs" hobby began...I have a cornucopia of
beautiful songs to listen to...and I kind of enjoy..."browsing for
songs"...anyway..................Quester.

Questions About Tools

Last two days I've been doing research...on a new model computer
...won't say which one...but I've been
asking a lot of questions...at a certain computer store. I don't know how other people do this kind of information gathering...but with me...it's reflecting on the thing I want to know about... during that process...questions arise...and I put them down...so that I can ask someone knowledgeable
about them. When it comes to a
sizeable item that I'm thinking of buying...there are usually many questions... until I reach the
point where it's a thumbs down on the object I was enquiring
about...or a resounding "yes". In the case of a computer...for me
...the questions revolve mainly around...the ways I am intending to use it...and whether it will deliver those particular
goods well. What a computer is going to be used mainly for...is
likely to differ from person to person...so...for me it's a question
of looking closely at what I'm going to use it for...then working
from there. Well...we'll see where my questioning takes me...
this time round..........Quester.

Roses In April...Not

Towards the end of April...I
published a post about roses I
spotted in someone's yard. Since
I came to Vancouver...and was
pleasantly surprised by cherry trees blossoming on January 1st
...I've become to atuned to seeing sights that you might not
see east of the Rockies...so "Roses in April"...seemed at the time...to be one more gift of the bountiful West Coast. Something about those roses...they looked a bit different from
any roses I'd seen before...maybe me return a second time to
check them out. Again...they seemed to fit seamlessly with the
rest of the yard they were in. Still feeling the need to verify
their authenticity...I returned a third time...day before yesterday...and scrutinized them more closely than I'd done
before. It was then I saw something that justified the suspicions
I had harboured. One of the "rose bush" leaves...was turned
sideways...so that I could see its under side. It was then I spotted...the prominent red leaf veins...that I 've only previously
seen on artificial plants...and never before on real rose bushes.
I had been fooled...enough by them...to write a piece about "roses in April"...when I first saw them. Having finally verified
that they weren't real...I wanted to report that too. Looks like
I'm going to have to go back to "gardener's school"...
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Flowers Out Of Stone

Flowers...seeming to grow out
of a wall of stone. Somehow...
seeing that on a walk today...for
me...was a hopeful sign. I haven't yet fully worked out...the
outer perameters of the metaphor that could come out
of this image...but part of it...
likely...would have to do with
something...living and even
flowering...where it's simply not supposed to be. That's the
thought I'll keep for now...as I reflect on...flowers coming out of
stone..............................Quester.

Poor Tulip

Just saw this picture again...and it made me wonder why I've never heard any songs about tulips. I think
there are more songs about roses...
especially red ones...of course...more than of any other flower. I wonder what is at work here?. The tulip could
be invoked as a symbol of spring...why
doesn't that happen more often?...
Maybe it does...somewhere...but it's just that I haven't heard. Maybe it's
simply an awkward word to find rhymes for. But what of the rose...why
has it been called upon on so many occasions...in addition to
appearing in so many songs and poems?. Just had a thought...
once wrote a song called "Danger of the Thorn"...referring to the ones that grow alongside roses...and speculating that the
danger factor might be a factor in the appeal of a "rose by any
other name". Then...there's the matter of the scent of a rose...
at least of those that have one...perhaps that is why...the tulip...
as pretty as it is...never stood a chance...when it comes to flowers...as symbols and expressors of love. Poor tulip...
.............................Quester.

West End

This afternoon I had a walk in a part of
Vancouver...that I have a lot of affection for
...the West End. When you try to make a
list of the qualities of something you like...
it's easy to get glib about it...and rattle off a
bunch of stuff...that may not be accurate...
so...let's just say...I like this place...and I'm glad I do. I used to live there when I first
came to Vancouver...and although I don't
live there anymore...I return there often...
and it's usually a pleasant experience. Right
now...even though the cherry blossoms have just finished there falling...its the lushness
and variations in the colours of leaves that was noticeable today
...with the sun lighting everything up. The tattering that late
summer inflicts on trees...right now...is nowhere to be seen...
and I appreciate the freshness of things around me. Perhaps...
in another day or two...I'll be back in the West End...
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Creative Preoccupation

Last night I finally answered an
e-mail...actually three e-mails...
that had come in rapid succession...containing a lot of
information...and links for me to
check out...and respond to. I
came within a whisker...of letting these e-mails slide away
...unresponded to...so...last night
I finally responded. One of the
first things I referred to...was "My present state of creative
preoccupation"...not a bad phrase for what was at the core of
my delay in responding. These days...making videos...is at the centre of that. It doesn't mean...that these days..."24/7"...as I
hear a lot of people saying...I am toiling over a
computer...going over movie clips...and stills...and assembling them. I have been spending a lot of time doing that....but the
"24/7" aspect...is having the world of pictures...and sound tracks...on my mind...at all times...going with the momentum
I've had for at least two months now...and not being ready to have it broken...by focussing on any other "business". This
morning...I was thinking that I have three interactions with
friends on the agenda...shortly...and I better find out exactly when and where they are...so I can take part in them. "Business" is one thing...but "meeting with friends"...is another...
..............................Quester.

Angelina...The Video...on YouTube

Since I started making videos...there has
been one song title...right at the top of the list..."Angelina"...a.k.a. "West Coast of My Life"...waiting to be turned into a
video. This has been my most requested song in recent years...and apart from that...it's a song I feel lucky to have written. For me...however...
turning this song to a video...was a
"Mount Everest"...with challenges like...
how do you put visuals...to a man's
reminiscences...about a far away era in
his life...and with women involved in the story...how do you avoid the "pitfalls" that await you...portraying this subject. Well...a few
days ago...I focussed strongly on the subject at hand...and began
to solve one obstacle after another that presented itself...until
at 9.15 p.m. tonight...I uploaded "Angelina"...to YouTube. I am
really glad to have overcome my difficulties making this video
...and feel great about the end result..............
............................Quester.

Straw Flower

[From song: "Straw Flower".
Copyright-SOCAN]
"She sits by her window...
rocks her life away...
She's made up her mind...
there's no other way...
The curtains are closed...
so the sun will not shine...
On the pictures gathering dust...
on her walls and her mind..."
.......................................Quester.

See The Eagle Fly

[Words from song: "See the Eagle Fly"-Copyright-SOCAN.]
"See the eagle fly...
in the blue sky...so high...
Telling you you've got to be
strong...
See the red sun rise in the
morning...singing...
Follow me you'll never go
wrong...
Never go wrong...if you follow me...
Never go wrong...if your eyes can see...
The wheel of the land...
with bear...and bird...and tree...
and them...you...and me..."
.......................................Quester.

Peace Is In Me

Went tonight...to the cd launch
of a friend. Among the songs she
sang...was one of mine called...
"Peace Is In Me"...which she did
well. Those present joined in on
the singing of the chorus...and it
all created a fine energy. Hearing someone other than
yourself sing your song...for me...usually helps me to hear the song better...than when I'm involved in the singing of it...and on this occasion...I appreciated...overall...what I heard. I told someone after...that the writing of "Peace Is In Me"...came to me...on one of those occasions...when what is at work...is more "artist as medium"...rather than "artist as craftsman". I suppose these days...they would call that "channelling". Anyway...I am very thankful for having received that song...and tonight...it was good to hear
many voices singing it........Quester.

Unplanned Meetings

After a visit to my post office box
in the West End of Vancouver...
this afternoon...I went for a walk
by English Bay...not far away. I'd
walked for a bit on the sea wall
path...when I heard someone
speak to me...from behind me. For a moment...I wasn't sure who it was...then I identified the
voice as that of a friend of mine. On a lyrical afternoon...we walked by the ocean...conversing...on a wide range of very human subjects. After we had covered a fair distance...we
returned to the corner from where we started our separate
journeys home. I was very aware of the gift that this
serendipitous meeting...and conversation...on a beautiful
afternoon had been...and mentioned that to my friend as we parted. Unplanned meetings...where something fine is shared...are indeed...one of the gifts of life I appreciate...always having been open to spontaneous happenings...in a culture...where it would seem...meetings tend to be planned weeks ahead. I returned home feeling that my life had been enriched...by this unexpected meeting. Here's to more of them...!.
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