James Taylor, One Man Road
There has never been an album such as this. Ever. Taylor’s rebirth on a farm with his twin sons, brother… barns, dogs, and hay bailers. Tractors and guitars. And somehow, he has removed a small piece of my mother-child heart fire and used it to rekindle the newborn baby-flame of complete adoration, restless and scary love that I had for those two bundles of less than ten pounds of humanity. He hit me with “I miss my home in North Carolina, I miss my Dad, my dog Hercules, my pumpkin collection — I miss it all.” You probably won’t weep at a song introduction such as that. I do. My dog’s name was Barney.
James Taylor sings about sweet baby Jane and he goes to Caroline in my mind. I heard the rebirth of my best mental-music-house when his music arrived today. And I’m a poet once again.
#0417
November 21, 2007
Small people make little comments
which somehow make them seem large –
in their own eyes.
The mighty admire the intellect,
and revel in lessons learned
by a tiny brainsponge with an infinite capacity for love and learning.
If you love me
speak large,
sing tall
let your
unconditional words
read as loud volumes
in my album of life.
There
now you have my desire.
–Valerie MacEwan, “Large Morning Sun
[...] MacEwan is the editor and publisher of The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature. This poem, that first appeared on her Mental Kudzu, is reprinted with [...]