The Kitchen Musician ~ November 2024

Hello Friends,

Today I reflect on the recent national election, and holding conflicting emotions as I struggle to move forward. Join me in the kitchen and I’ll share the new song that came of it.

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Index

  NEWS:
  THIS MONTH’S MUSIC: “Catch the Leaf”
  UPCOMING SHOWS
  FEATURED NON-PROFIT: The American Civil Liberties Union

News:

I am looking forward to attending the New England Regional Folk Alliance this week – four days of connection with other folk artists, venue operators, and media people. I hope to renew some friendships, and to grow a few new branches on my folk music community tree. I will be performing in several showcases, but the main objective is to recharge my music making.

I was pleased to see that my song, The Frog and the Scorpion made the folk radio charts for the month of October. It was in some good company as radio DJ’s looked for songs with a timely message, leading up to the election.

I currently have no public performances through December, but am very much looking forward to two great shows in January.

Jan 22, Wednesday: Dan’l Boone Library, Virtual Concert, Columbia, MO. Performing a songwriter showcase with talented friends Kim Wallach and Tracy Newman, virtually via Zoom. 8:00 pm ET. Public invited.

Jan 25, Saturday: Needham, MA. Sharing this show with Cosy Sheridan, along with Charlie Koch and Seth Connelly, at The Homegrown Coffeehouse. We had so much fun doing this together in October in Dedham, MA, we jumped at the chance to keep the energy going. I guarantee that you will leave feeling better than when you arrived.

All show details can be found at upcoming shows.

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This Month’s Music: “Catch the Leaf”

Last week Donald Trump was re-elected President of the United States. My fingers are vibrating as I type this. I know that I am not alone in my anger, fear, disgust — yet I must also try to come to grips with the fact that about half of voters embraced his candidacy. Surely, we are in for a very rough ride over the next four years and beyond.

On the day after the election, I was devastated and confused. One way I process this sort of thing is to write in my journal. I am drawn to this quote, attributed to many; “I do not know what I think until I read what I write.” Somehow, the act of writing can tease out my emotions and map them onto something that makes sense and helps me to move forward. Writing under the sugar maple tree that I planted in my back yard nearly fifty years ago, I compared my core beliefs to the falling leaves, dying and landing in my yard — a precursor to the cold winter, the season of darkness. In my heartbreak, I didn’t notice the buds on the bare branches, prepared to blossom when the sun returns in the spring; or that the leaves falling today will be a source of nourishment sustaining the tree in years to come. Instead, my eye was drawn to a shadow that was almost dancing on the lawn. It took a minute to realize that it was the shadow of a falling leaf, shifting back and forth as the leaf rode the breeze. Eventually the leaf and its shadow met at my feet, as if the shadow intentionally caught the leaf. That small event reminded me of the poem “Inviting Spaciousness,” in which the poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer encourages us to hold a wounded heart until it remembers it knows how to love.

This small event stayed with me for the rest of the day, and became the spark that inspired my song, “Catch the Leaf.” As it began to take shape, I was concerned that the metaphor of the shadow catching the leaf was too vague and needed to be strengthened. So without providing any background information, I sent a demo of the song to my friend and talented songwriting mentor, Jud Caswell. He of course had several insightful observations – he always does. When we discussed the second verse, Jud said that although the singer doesn’t say who or what the shadow is, he took it as the shadow of a child playing in the yard and catching the falling leaves. Both of us have experienced this beautiful sight with our own children, and of course see it as the opposite of the darkness described in the first verse. I was delighted to hear his interpretation, and it convinced me to leave room for listeners to give it meaning based upon their personal experience.

While working on the final edits to my song, and beginning to feel like I could imagine a time when I can act on the positive directive in its final verse, I found this beautiful echo of my feelings from poet, James Crews.

After Burnout

You finally decide to do no more
than is necessary, relishing each new
gulp of air drawn into your lungs,
when out of the flavorless mush
of days, even weeks without sun,
it happens again: life calls you back.
With a hint of chocolate in the cup
of coffee taken alone at the table,
or the needles of coneflower seeds
sticking to your fingertips as you
spread them around in autumn earth.
How all living things want to go on,
attaching themselves to whatever body
or breath of wind will carry them home.
Now stop in the driveway and listen
as amber-gold leaves, one by one,
break off with a simple snap of stem
from branch, that sound just shy
of silence saying to you: it’s time
to release all the relentless reaching
for the light. Rest is not death,
though it may feel like it at first.

Reprinted with permission of the poet, James Crews,
from his book “Unblocking the Heart”, Simon and Schuster 2024

Please be patient and kind with yourself, and with those whom you love. Take the time you need to rest and recover from whatever trauma you may have experienced. Reach out to lend a hand to others who are feeling vulnerable, angry and disappointed. “Rest is not death, though it may feel like it at first.”

… and when you are ready, “catch the leaf”!

Tom

(If so inclined, I invite you to leave a comment by scrolling to the end of this page.)

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Featured Non-profit: The American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union works tirelessly in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the Constitution’s promise of liberty for everyone in our country. Their work is more important than ever.

Please join me in supporting the ACLU.

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