The Sounds of Silence at Shiloh

I fell in love with Herman Melville's poem "Shiloh: A Requiem" the second year I was teaching American literature.  I remember a wonderful discussion with my students about how the sounds created in the poem -- the repetition of f's and sh -- caused the poem to sound like one big "hush."  It was only because of the poem that I wanted to visit the Shiloh Battlefield, which lies between Memphis and Nashville.  I am not ordinarily one for visiting Civil War sites, but this one had my attention.  More than 23,000 soldiers were killed in a very short battle here in April 1862. 

This past year I discovered a story in the 8th grade textbook written by Ray Bradbury called, "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh."  

The story is short and quite intense, and includes the detail of the peach tree blossoms falling such that they looked like snow.  The peach trees were no longer present at the site, but the area was designated.  The story intensified my interest.

While there we learned about the Hornets Nest -- a battle in the woods where the bullets were so loud they sounded like hornets.  And the Bloody Pond, where both sides came to clean their wounds and quest their thirst.  The grounds are beautiful, but the loss of life on this battlefield is beyond the imagination.

Being at Shiloh is like one big hush.  The best I have to offer are pictures and Melville's beautiful words, which I read out loud on the church property while we were there.

Shiloh: A Requiem

by Herman Melville

Skimming lightly, wheeling still,

The swallows fly low

Over the field in clouded days,

the forest-field of Shiloh --

Over the field where April rain

Solaced the parched ones stretched in pain

Through the pause of night

That followed the Sunday fight

Around the church of Shiloh --

The church so lone, the log-built one,

That echoed to many a parting groan

And natural prayer

of dying foeman mingled there --

Foemen at morn, but friends at eve --

Fame or country least their care:

(What like a bullet can undeceive!)

But now they lie low,

While over them the swallows skim,

And all is hushed at Shiloh.

Stories and Dreams: The Promised Land

Stories and Dreams: The Promised Land

The dogs on main street howl,

'cause they understand,

If I could take one moment into my hands

Mister, I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man,

And I believe in a promised land.

                                                              --Bruce Springsteen

Today I wind up the Stories and Dreams trilogy with reflections on "The Promised Land."  The words above are from a song with that title, and Elvis Presley had an album of the same title.  This idea of a Promised Land is certainly part of the mythology of American music -- a place where all is perfect, where what is important rules, where we are all One.  For some Memphis is the Promised Land.  For others, Nashville or Chicago or New York or LA.  Anyone who dreams lives to find the Promised Land in some way, shape, or form.

We visited the Rock and Soul Museum in Memphis that gave a detailed history of what we had already experienced in Mississippi -- how the hard work of the cotton fields and difficult employment led to the blues, and the blues were carried up Highway 61 to Memphis and came alive on Beale Street.  This museum made a clear connection between blues, country, and gospel, and how they built into the forms of rock and roll and soul music.

Near the end of the tour, there were plaques which made note of special events in the world or rock and roll and popular music in general. These included items such as Elton John singing at Princess Diana's funeral, and the Kanye West/Taylor Swift debacle.  However, there was one event I don't believe I knew about, and it involved Bruce Springsteen in 1975.

Elvis statue, Beale Street

This was the year of Bruce, and he made the cover of Time and Newsweek magazines the same week.  While touring in Memphis, he decided he wanted to meet Elvis Presley.  So he scaled the wall at Graceland and went right up to the door and knocked.  Presley was not home, and Springsteen was escorted off the grounds.  From what I understand, Springsteen never did meet Elvis.

For Bruce, the Promised Land had not come with the hit album or the magazine covers. There was still more to seek, and more to find.  Reading about this, I found this quote from Springsteen, a reflection on the event he spoke from the stage at a concert years later:

The passing of the King of Rock

"Later on, I used to wonder what I would have said if I had knocked on the door and if Elvis had come to the door. Because it really wasn't Elvis I was goin' to see, but it was like he came along and whispered some dream in everybody's ear and somehow we all dreamed it. And maybe that's why we're here tonight, I don't know. I remember later when a friend of mine called to tell me that he'd died. It was so hard to understand how somebody whose music came in and took away so many people's loneliness and gave so many people a reason and a sense of all the possibilities of living could have in the end died so tragically. And I guess when you're alone, you ain't nothin' but alone."




What Bruce seems to be saying is that we have a dream together, but each of us has to get there alone.  I am struck by the headline above: "Lonely Life Ends."  How is it that dreams we share, stories we live, the promised land we aspire to, makes us end up feeling so lonely and alone?  

I don't know that I have the answer.  Because there is something even more intense in Memphis that reflects this very same concept. And that is the Lorraine Motel, and what happened there.

Now the site of a Civil Rights Museum

You might say this is where the dream ended.  Visiting the various museums, studios, and Graceland, I couldn't help but notice it was primarily white people visiting these sites.  But when I got to the Lorraine Motel, it was primarily black people.  It helps me to realize that we still have a long way to go before we reach that Promised Land together.  That as intertwined as our stories and dreams are, they can still be miles apart.

This brings me to the story of music related to the night Martin Luther King was assassinated.  I first heard this story at the Rock and Soul Museum, as they had an excellent exhibit regarding that tumultuous time in Memphis.

As the story goes, Ben Branch was playing his saxophone on Mulberry Street, near the Lorraine Motel.  Dr. King came out on the balcony and asked Branch to play "Precious Lord."  It was shortly after that, King was assassinated.

Ben Branch's saxophone

According to the sign at the actual site of the shooting, King's request of the gospel standard were the last words he spoke.

Where Martin Luther King died

On the wall near the doorway to the museum across the street were the words from King's speech the day before he died (see below).  It seems to point to a man who knew he didn't have long.  A man who had a dream and had inspired thousands, if not millions, to follow that dream to the Promised Land.  Yet, he knew it wasn't for him.  He, too, was alone in this regard.  For even as King dreamed his dream for all humankind, he knew that the truth of "take this moment into my hand" is a personal thing.  The Promised Land is fleeting.  It is only here in a moment -- a moment of music, a moment of connection, a moment of knowing. It is a place deep within us all. A place that ideally we will get to together, yet our aloneness often makes it difficult. A place we have to keep believing in or perish. A place where our dreams and stories reside, carrying us forward, ever seeking The Promised Land.

One Friday, Fifty Years

One Friday, fifty years

Life so very different then

Black and white, prayers said

A world tilting off its axis.

We did not know this was

just the beginning.

We did not know how crazy

it would get.

We did not know

how this would resonate.

We just sat.

And watched.

We were quiet.

We were stunned.

We were sad.

Step one in the loss of innocence.

Photo Poem: Travel 2013

Back home.  Back to writing.  I found a poem called "Travel" in the book The List Poem: A Guide to Teaching and Writing Catalog Verse by Larry Fagin.  Here is my version of "Travel," along with photographs.  Enjoy.

Travel 2013

In Birmingham I photographed a statue of Martin Luther King, sporting a bird on his head.

Kelly Ingram Park marked the Road to Freedom

A memorial to four girls killed silently bore witness on a quiet street corner

Tennessee’s Davy Crockett raised his hat in victory

 

Country stars heartfully sang the classics on a glorious Opry night
Henry toured us through backstage dressing rooms at the Ryman Auditorium

Stained glass, the stage, the memories and echoes of the musical decades encompassed there

Ate lunch at the Rock Bottom Brewery, contemplating Nashville in all its contrasts

Studio B reverberated with the sounds of thousands of hits and history

Bill Monroe’s mandolin, Johnny Hartford’s banjo, Trisha Yearwood’s custom boots

Children played in Centennial Park by the impressive Parthenon

Musicians rushed past the Musica sculpture, getting to work on Music Row

The Ohio River barge lit up at sunset, the river high and mighty

We dined in a historic building, the dessert a lesson in perfection

We viewed the Great Smoky Mountains from a 13^th floor hotel room on a mountain top

Ate silver dollar pancakes and blackberry crepes in a log cabin

Strolled the streets of Gatlinburg looking for treasures, then a ski lift up to the sky, a throwback touristy thing to do

In Asheville a full rainbow greeted us, along with my cousin and her husband

We feasted on steaming Korean stone bowl meals, Chardonnay, and conversation

Late into the night we chattered, gossiped, reminisced

The next day I walked Doreen and David’s gardens, swung on the porch swing, talked with their daughter, visited Buddha, shared guacamole and chips

Heading homeward we laughed at a biker feeding his cockatiel 

Ate Sunday dinner at a Houlihan’s south of Savannah

The final day, a smooth ride down the Woodpecker Trail and I-75

Home. 

Home. 

To go is pleasure. 

To return is joy.

Travel Companions in Clifty Falls State Park, Indiana

Honoring the Past, Re-imagining the Present

Once far away from Fort Myers, it becomes apparent that where I now live is "new."  It isn't until I travel a distance that I begin to get a chance to appreciate "the old"-- and to see how others appreciate the past and bring their imaginative present to a place.  Here are four I found that were interesting or inviting or both:

Hard Rock Cafe Gift Shop, Nashville

This is the oldest free standing building in Nashville, and was once called the Silver Dollar Saloon (1897).  It is close to the riverfront in Nashville, and now houses the gift shop for the Hard Rock Cafe.  It still has some of the original flooring. The first floor, where the gift shop is now located, was a saloon, the second floor a gambling hall, and the third floor a brothel.  In addition, there is an tunnel under Broadway (the street pictured here) for smuggling liquor during Prohibition.  This truly was the building with the most character in all of Nashville.

Mark Twain Room, Village Lights Bookstore

The Village Lights bookstore in downtown Madison, Indiana is not your ordinary bookstore.  Inviting, well-lit, and friendly service makes a person never want to buy books on amazon again!  A combination of new and used books, and some pretty nifty gifts, are presented in the front part of the store.  In the back is the gem -- the Mark Twain Room. I apologize that the picture of Twain over the fireplace is full of glare -- I simply could not find a place to stand where that wasn't the case. The Twain room is used for customer reading space, as well as book signings.  A full collection of Twain's books is on the mantle under the framed portrait. Nathan, the owner of Village Lights, recommended the next spot to us.  I purchased some books from this shop -- it was impossible not to!  

Gallery 115 in Madison, Indiana

I am glad we took Nathan's advice and had lunch at the cafe here in Gallery 115.  The gallery of painting and sculptures are all by a local young man -- Erich Phagan -- and his family was involved in converting this space to the most charming art gallery and cafe I have ever seen.  Hardwood floors, original pasty cases, and stunning art -- mostly of the Madison area -- contributed to a unique dining experience.  I spoke with the artist for a while, as I waited for my pulled pork sandwich to be prepared. He makes an attempt to have his paintings look like they are old.  He sculpts little animals and distorted faces and had a whole line of little birdhouses.  This space was originally a butcher shop -- the name still in concrete outside on the sidewalk -- and then was a JC Penney's.  The Phagan family has won many awards for the work they did in this space, and I am glad we had a chance to spend some time with them.

The Courtyard Inn & Cafe and Underground Pub  Rising Sun, Indiana

Built in 1857, this building originally served the community as a general store, and served a larger cause by being part of the Underground Railroad -- it is right on the Ohio River.  The large basement room now houses the Underground Pub.  We had dinner our last night in Indiana in the cafe -- filet mignon with a delicious mushroom/wine/tarragon sauce and the best dessert ever!

Almond Coconut Brownie

I took the dessert to go, and when we got back to the hotel, I decided to take just one bite. Well, it was gone before I knew it.  

Dining at the Courtyard Cafe. Booth seats were old church pews.

Today we leave Indiana and head to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Our plans from here are still up in the air, but we know we will be slowly making our way back to Florida.  Once we are in the mountains, I am not sure how internet reception will be.  It has been terrible at our current location, which delayed this blog.  I had to get up before 6 a.m. today to attempt to get this done, because once everyone starts getting on the internet here, it becomes an impossible task.  

Enjoying every minute of our trip and will update again soon!

Top 10 Music City Moments

The last few days in Nashville have been full of music history, delightful encounters, and just plain ol' fun.  In order to make it manageable, I decided to write up a countdown of my Top 10 Nashville Moments.

#10  Running into Reggie from Atlanta
When we arrived in Nashville, we immediately got confused on our directions.  Rush hour on Friday didn't help much, and soon enough we, uh, ran into Reggie.  His Ram truck wasn't damaged much, and frankly, our Prius held up pretty well in the fender bender.  Reggie is from Atlanta and has been in town working on refurbishing the Hilton hotel.  He was trying to sneak out of town early to spend a weekend with his family when we bumped up against him on Lafayette Avenue. Yet, he was good-natured about being delayed while we waited for a Nashville cop to come and write a police report for the insurance companies.  He even said at one point he was glad we ran into him because otherwise he wouldn't have got to meet us, and "we're good people."  If ya gotta have an accident, running into a guy like Reggie is the way to go.

#9 The Oak Ridge Boys leading the entire audience in "Amazing Grace"
The first night in Nashville, we attended the Grand Ole Opry, and it certainly provided many memorable moments.  The Oak Ridge Boys were the last major act to sing, and they led the entire audience in a rendition of "Amazing Grace" for hospitalized country artist Randy Travis.  The Opry is already like a large church -- the seats are basically pews -- and this just made it feel even more so.  It was a perfect ending to a thoroughly enjoyable Opry night.

#8 The People of Nashville
I have been many places where the people are friendly.  But in Nashville, everyone takes it one step further -- they are professionally nice people.  Hotel employees, restaurant servers, clerks in stores, and taxi drivers were all polite, direct, helpful, and organized.  There just wasn't a false moment with any of them, and they never steered us wrong. This alone makes Nashville stand out as an excellent tourist destination.

Contrast of old and new buildings from riverfront Nashville

#7 Contrast of Old and New

Kalisa Ewing performing at Grand Ole Opry

Everywhere in Nashville, the contrast of old and new stands out -- and both are equally regarded.  This was evident our night at the Opry when Jeannie Seeley -- the host for the first segment -- sang the Eddy Arnold hit "Make the World Go Away," her voice ringing out as clear as a bell.  I realized then that the Opry has magnificent acoustics and sound system.  Soon afterward, Jeannie introduced a new songwriter and singer, Kalisa Ewing.  Kalisa sang a new song she wrote, inspired by Hank Williams, called "Montgomery."  Both singers impressed and served as the first of many contrasts I would witness the rest of the weekend.


#6 Henry, our Backstage Tour Guide at the Ryman Auditorium
A fiesty and knowlegeable expert, our 80-year-old tour guide for the Backstage Tour at the Ryman gave us his one and only perspective on all things country music, including the fact that he doesn't "get" modern country and that he likes his music with "twang."  He saw Hank Williams and Patsy Cline before they were Hank Williams and Patsy Cline, and he's a dyed-in-the-wool Roy Acuff fan.  Regardless of his personal feelings, he gave us a ton of information in a short half an hour, and took us through the various Ryman dressing rooms, each named in honor of specific artists such as Minnie Pearl and Johnny & June Cash.  Henry added the icing on the cake to our already awesome Ryman visit.  (More on #3)

Sarah and her band perform

#5  Sarah Jarosz's performance at the Grand Ole Opry
Unpretentious and a true musician -- this is Sarah Jarosz.  She to me is the new Alison Krauss, and the reason I wanted to be at the Opry on July 12th. Like all the other artists, she only sang two songs, one of them being "Ring Them Bells" by Bob Dylan.  She was definitely my favorite performer at the Opry that night because she is all about the music.

#4 Gram Parson's Nudie suit and Emmylou Harris's rose guitar
On Sunday we visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, and it certainly has its share of interesting artifacts -- Bill Monroe's mandolin, Elvis's gold piano, and an entire exhibit of Carrie Underwood's costumes from her "Blown Away" tour.  But by far my favorite was the display dedicated to the inventor of "Cosmic American Music" -- Gram Parsons, and along with him, Emmylou Harris.  Their duets are still among my favorites of any music ever, and I was glad to see that the Hall of Fame gave him his due.  The suit is displayed so that the front and back are able to be seen, and along with it is Emmylou's beautiful black guitar with the red rose.  Breathtaking.

Emmylou's guitar -- I want it!!!

Roses on the butt cheeks!

Front display

#3 The Ryman Auditorium

What can I say about the "Mother Church of Country Music" that hasn't been said?  It was grace and a blessing that artists like Emmylou Harris did whatever it took to be sure this building was restored.  This was the first home of the Grand Ole Opry, but was originally built as a church -- this explains the pews, the stained glass windows, and the amazing acoustics.  I just couldn't get enough of the stage, the windows, the staircases, the artifacts, the paintings, the autographed Hatch prints.  It truly felt like sacred space; hundreds of artist have shared their music in this place, and thousands of people throughout the years their personal pilgrimages to worship the music that means the world to them.  It will forever be one of the most awe-inspiring buildings I have ever visited because it is definitely more than a building -- it is holy ground.

Ryman Stage

Jim -- stained glass windows

The staircase and one of the fine paintings

The one of a kind Ryman Auditorium -- Nashville

#2 Meeting Will and Lisa
Sometimes you meet someone and you know immediately that you are going to be friends.  This is exactly what happened when we met Will and Lisa.

Jim knew Will because of their common interest in collecting guitar picks, but this was the first time they met face to face.  Will and Lisa drove down from Hendersonville, picked us up at the hotel, and before we even got to the restaurant it was clear we were fast friends.  In fact, I asked our server at Amerigo if he could believe we had just met, because we were talking and laughing like we had known each other for years. (He didn't believe us.)  After wonderful food and conversation, Will drove us over the Centennial Park to see the replica of the Parthenon.  We were fortunate to find someone there to take some pictures of us.  We look forward to seeing Will and Lisa when they come down Florida way next spring.

Me, Jim, Lisa, Will

#1 The Best Tour Story

As part of our visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame, we took the Studio B tour.  This is a 30 minute tour of the RCA studio where thousands of songs have been recorded, among them "Cathy's Clown" by the Everly Brothers, "Crying" by Roy Orbison, and "Coat of Many Colors" by Dolly Parton.  (Side note: Dolly also wrote "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You" at the studio on the same day!)  Today this studio is the home of recording artists like Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride.

The studio was scheduled to be closed on August 17, 1977 -- it was no longer going to be used.  As many of you may remember, that is the day after Elvis Presley died.  Elvis recorded over 200 songs in Studio B, and was the focus of the today's tour.  The studio never did close, and is still in use today. 

When we got in the bus to go to the studio, Ron Herman (our guide) asked if there were any Elvis fans on the tour?  Only about half the people raised their hands.  I did not.  I have never bought an Elvis record, nor have I ever downloaded one.  He just has never been of much interest to me, although I don't have anything personal against him or his music.

Studio B

Once inside the actual studio, we were told various recording stories about Elvis.  We saw the piano where he played "How Great Thou Art" for his gospel rendition of the song.  We heard how he insisted on the studio being totally decorated for Christmas during the month of May while he recorded a Christmas album, complete with a large Christmas tree in the center of the room and gifts underneath.

Elvis knew about aesthetics!

Then Ron told us that Elvis never came to record in the morning.  He would come at night -- around 10 p.m. and could still be found recording into the wee hours of the morning.  As shown in the photo above, the studio has lights in groupings, and they have different colored bulbs. Elvis would often ask for certain colors to shine for specific songs -- red & green for the Christmas songs, perhaps blue for another song.  But on this one night in 1960, around 4 o'clock in the morning, Elvis asked that all the lights be turned off. And this is when our tour guide made the magic happen.  He put on the song that Elvis recorded in the dark, and he proceeded to turn off all the lights -- leaving all of us standing in total blackness listening to Elvis sing "Are You Lonesome Tonight."  It was one of the most emotionally moving musical moments I have ever had, and I felt the effects of it for several hours afterward. Ron made Elvis come fully alive in the studio for us, and I will never, ever hear that song again without getting the same goosebumps and the same tears in my eyes I had today when Elvis was in the building!  And yes, I will be downloading the song.  Want to listen? -- Elvis recorded this April 4, 1960

The piano has been in the studio since the late 1950's & heard on many recordings

On Monday, we will bid a fond farewell to Nashville, taking these 10 amazing memories and many more with us to Indiana and beyond.