Afterimage

Inside the lobby I am greeted by the nauseous smell of deodorizer and stale coffee. I hate this place. 

I make myself walk the freshly waxed hallway. I see her in the community dining room. She sits in her wheelchair at a table. Alone.

I pull a chair next to her. I visit her every afternoon.

She’s holding a photograph of herself. She stares at it, studies it, turns it around with fingers that are knotted roots. Taken 66 years ago. Gorgeous. Radiant. But she can’t recall who it is.

She notices my presence. She looks up at me with unclouded blue eyes, still shining, content with a life well-lived. But she doesn’t recognize me, her youngest son.

She looks back at her photo. Black and white. Her youthful image smiles back at her like a ghost.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” she asks me, the stranger sitting next to her.

“Yes,” I answer my mother. “She looks a lot like you.”

My Sunshine

Photo by Ava Branstner

She sits at my feet. 

Always faithful, always loyal.

Her trust is complete, her love unconditional. 

Even when the sun is in her eyes.

...

This is a beautiful photo of our Australian red heeler, taken by my daughter, who definitely has a photographer's eye. 

The image inspired me to write a quick four-line stanza, scribbled out in about 45 seconds. Instead of developing the lines, I decided to leave them alone to preserve the moment. 

Sometimes inspiration can come quickly and unexpectedly. 

Always Dig Deeper

In Apple Studios with Billy Preston, January 1969

This changed the everything.

I recently finished watching Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary, Get Back. “Epic” is a grossly overused word these days; however, that is the best description I can give this film.

Most of you know I am in my element with anything to do with the Beatles, so for the sake of humanity, I am limiting myself to less than 300 words.

First things first: this documentary is not for the casual fan. Peter Jackson defends the documentary's length: "[I kept thinking] people have got to see this. This is great."

For the casual fan, I would recommend watching Episode 3.

There are countless fascinating moments in these hours of footage. The most memorable for me was watching Paul McCartney pull the song "Get Back" out of thin air. As the cameras roll, he sits on a chair, head down, emphatically chugging on his bass--searching for a melody, hunting for a tune--and suddenly it hits him: "Get back... get back... get back to dum-de-dum..."

A #1 hit, and an all-time classic born before our eyes. Absolutely fascinating stuff.

I think that was really the most amazing part of the entire documentary: watching the creative process evolve. After all, this wasn't just an ordinary band. 

When George Harrison brings in a very early version of what would become "Something" (yet another #1 hit!), he asks John Lennon for help with the lyric. Lennon sings, 

"Something in the way she moves ... attracts me like ... a cauliflower..." 

Lennon advises Harrison, "Just keep it going, George. It doesn't matter what the words are, they will come. Just keep the groove going."

Good advice.

Lennon and Harrison, January 1969

Now to the point of this entire post.

I’ve been a student of Beatles history for decades and the overwhelming consensus has accepted this was an absolutely miserable period in the band’s history.

Not so fast.

This fly-on-the-wall documentary has me rethinking everything I’ve ever read. My own takeaways from this eight hour time capsule:

1. John and Paul did not hate each other.
2. Nobody hated Yoko.
3. George was an underappreciated genius.
4. Ringo was the glue. His calming presence and amiable personality held the band together.
5. The Beatles drank a lot of tea.
6. The Beatles were quite fond of toast.
7. The Beatles smoked their collective weight in cigarettes.

What I've learned from this documentary is the accepted truth is just one side of the story. 

Always dig deeper.