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Monday, June 09, 2014

Sippie

1982 and
synth washed New Wave
was the soundtrack
of college days,
and my college pub
modestly marqueed
“LUNCHTIME CONCERT:
SIPPIE WALLACE.”

I couldn't believe it:
The Texas Nightingale,
and her heartache
wise blues
would be singing
for the blonde-haired
blue-eyed
Born Again Christian
twenty-something
Philistines
at Cal State Fullerton?

And no cover?

Must be a mistake
I thought,
but I got there early,
took my place
on the side
of the stage,
as her time drew near,
she was escorted
to the stage by the pianist.

She leaned against
the piano,
a legend,
a modest mountain
of passion and pain,
laughter and learning,
singing her slightly salacious,
saucy songs from the 1920’s
and I loved every minute
of it.

The crowd wasn't interested,
they ignored her.

Sippie and I were both
outsiders here,
and I stayed there cheering
her on,
basking in her glow,
the halo of the gifted.

Her set ended,
and rather than escort her
backstage,
she was unceremoniously
seated out of sight
behind a speaker.

I had to go to class,
and as I walked by
she appeared in thought,
perhaps wondering
how she was received,
where she was,

I broke her reverie
with a stage whisper
“SIPPIE?”

“SIPPIE?”

and she looked at me
trying to place me,
and I smiled and
stage whispered
“I LOVE YOU”

and she beamed
and cocked her head
in acknowledgement,

and we connected
in the way that
the blues connects
us all.



13 comments:

  1. Mosk, you had me at "Sippie"! Have you ever heard her duet with Bonnie Raitt on "Woman Be Wise"? So great, the two generations together. The blues... the only genre of "popular" music that never ages, no matter how old the singer. I mean, Mick Jagger is gross singing his paeans to young girls, ditto Rod Stewart. But give me Bessie, BB, Ruth Brown ("Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean)... so many greats. Your "I love you" touched me deeply, because she needed it, I know in my heart. This is, intro to final note, a lovely piece. Ameleh

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ameleh - hate to admit it but I'm presently listening to The Rolling Stones "Exile..." Yes, I first saw Sippie via Dave Letterman in 1982 when Bonnie Raitt brought Sippie in for a duet. It was heaven. Bonnie also helped introduce me to another blues legend, Charles Brown (but I learned about him more from Buster Poindexter!).

      We got to see Bonnie last year, and she was mighty mighty good. Yes, at the heart of it all, is the blues. Yes, getting to tell Sippie that I loved her was an honor.

      Thanks Ameleh!

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  2. the blues def have a way of connecting us...
    we all fall into them...and no matter our walk of life...or belief
    it comes for us all..and when we lay it out there
    people will flock to see it...because real appeals...

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    Replies
    1. Exactly - the real appeals! The blues is everyone's poetry. Thanks, brother.

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  3. The earlier comments gave me a shock...really missing Brian.

    Would love to be there and listen to her. Yes songs and blues have a great connection.

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  4. Love the pace of this, the slow reveal of details and the charming ending.

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  5. Thank you for that. I enjoyed it.

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  6. I love this, and you. You are so gifted --- not just with writing, and music, but also with feeling, sensing, absorbing ... humanity and art. You soak it up.

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  7. What a magical, memorable moment!

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  8. Wonderful thing to say to Sippie.

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  9. It sounds like it was exactly the right thing to say to Sippie -- great video of her!

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  10. Your poem breaks my heart. I had a similar experience when a very famous singer/songwriter I loved gave a concert in Santa Cruz, Ca, to a nearly empty auditorium. He just wasn't politically radical enough, and unfortunately he took it out on those of us who did come and appreciated him. I'm sure a humiliating experience for him...and for those of us who loved his music.

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  11. As a person who loves to write free verse, I sometimes wonder if there is any difference between a prose poem, prose story, or free verse. I think the difference sometimes is manifest when the emphasis is the emotional tenor of a moment rather than the plot of a narrative or the expository power of an essay, your excellent piece has all of these features, which is so freaking cool that I am not happy for you at all, I am just jealous 😉. You really hit the poetry high points in this stanza which I especially love:

    She leaned against
    the piano,
    a legend,
    a modest mountain
    of passion and pain,
    laughter and learning,
    singing her slightly salacious,
    saucy songs from the 1920’s
    and I loved every minute
    of it.

    Thank you for this it is tender and lovely, so glad you told her of your love. Okies, now I gotta go download some Sippie. 💜

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