week 598 ~ transient insubstantial

transient insubstantial
where did my former life go
the day I’ll leave for Brazil
transient insubstantial
lost in the haze not yet ill
locked down will I ever know
transient insubstantial
where did my former life go

week 440 ~ it’s time I headed to Rio

it’s time I headed to Rio
I’ve been away for far too long
rekindle the lost spark of song
I found so very long ago
if it’s still waiting I won’t know
until I leave comfortable
behind and give in to the pull
of wanderlust crazy to heed
the call but this is what I need
to drink in choro ‘til I’m full

week 409 ~ Brazil twines its tendrils around my heart

Brazil twines its tendrils around my heart
caught immersed in a wash of color sound
dreaming of there languishing here it’s bound
to draw a sigh I always feel a part
of Rio piercing my soul when music
withers so far from its ancestral well
of inspiration displaced ghosts don’t tell
their story as beautifully I pick
an option and carry on stoically
replacing fleeting dreams with concrete chores
the laundry will be done living abhors
a vacuum and simplicity suits me
I’ll still be here when Rio reappears
to benevolently assuage my fears

 

week 373 ~ a door ajar leeches in cold

a door ajar leeches in cold
no time for things unessential
in truth my love my heart is full
but Brazil slipping from my soul
leaves a void unfillable whole
sections of myself fall away
crash splinter to dust who can say
what it will take to rebuild them
all around the world is mayhem
focus on getting through today

week 365 ~ waiting in the wings

waiting in the wings
Brazil beckons me
all tied up in strings
waiting in the wings
the fat lady sings
trying to break free
waiting in the wings
Brazil beckons me

week 259 ~ I make a wooden carving of my heart

I make a wooden carving of my heart
and hang it where some passing saint might take
notice and grant beneficence no part
of me should doubt divine wisdom will make
its broken pieces somehow fit again
how can there be faith that will not falter
fé não costuma faihar for human
dignity’s brave persistence to alter
fate can I join these pilgrims humbly walk
velhas ruas do Rio believing
in second chances a time to unlock
the road ahead and place my offering
on the alter of instinct as I fall
to grace wrapped in the wonder of it all

fé não costuma faihar – faith that will not falter, is written on an exhibit description at the Edson Folk Museum and the words struck me when I saw them this week. They are also the second line in the chorus of Gilberto Gil’s Andar com Fé, (Walking with Faith) a beautiful Bahian MPB song from 1982.

velhas ruas do Rio – old streets of Rio.

September 1, 2010

Classes start. Too many words… Here’s a tune instead, my “Isso,” Brazilian slag for “That’s It” or “You Got it”. I wrote it for my bandolim teacher in Rio, and it’s a bittersweet waltz that fits my mood well right now. I’m playing w/ a wonderful Brazilian pianist and composer, Luiz Simas, who I’ll be performing with later this month.  Isso [That’s It]

August 18, 2010

After my fit of homesickness for Rio yesterday, my poet/blogger friend Kavita suggested I post one of my Brazilian songs. So here is my “Siga em Frente”. The title is Portuguese for “Go Straight Ahead,” and it’s something you hear alot when asking for directions. I wrote it for my Rio taxi driver, who is also a friend and a musician. This recording is from my most recent CD, “Meu Bandolim,” (My Mandolin), recorded w/ my Brazilian musical friends. I’m playing bandolim, and my friends are playing sax, 7-string guitar, and percussion. Enjoy!
Siga Em Frente