Not Quite Alone In The Dark

It happened again.
There I was - midstream in the flow of brilliance -
two , maybe three paragraphs away from a major strike -
and the computer died, the clocks all stopped, the TV
in the other room went black - and the lights went out.
Yes - there was wind...but in the 17 plus years I've
lived in Nova Scotia - that is not an uncommmon
occurance - certainly not an occurance for which NS
Power should not be prepared.
My immediate reaction was not one fit to print.
Brilliance is not something that is anything other than
a rare commodity when my fingers caress this keyboard..
or any other..I blame the fingers...but I digress.
So there I was ( I'm repeating myself )...First, bitter
ugly and cynical - and then conciously making the decision
to take advantage of the silence and late afternoon darkness.
I have often said that there is nothing so calming, nothing
so peacefull, nothing so pure in it's ability to medicate,
as the sound of the acoustic guitar.
So I cautiously made my way to the office wall, and picked
out the Larivee ...I sat for 40 minutes or so and replayed
songs rehearsed a hundred a times.
There But For Fortune, Song For A Winter's Night, Need You Most of
All, Baby Now That I've Found You, and a couple of originals,
Most of All, and Tolling Bell.
The thing about an open concept home - it's a pain in the ass
when Charlene's sleeping and I feel inspired to play first thing
in the morning - but when the lights are out , no one else is
home, I can play in the basement family room and hear the echo
from the cathedral ceilings upstairs...there's no changing my
voice but, my God, the guitar sounds sweet.
Ceiladh asleep on the couch beside me and Jazz curled up at
my feet...a packed Massey Hall would not compare favorably...
the dogs have rarely booed me off the stage !
The lights were restored about the same time my left hand
started to go to sleep - which is usually the sign it's time
to put the guitar away - its hard to play in a boxing glove.
So...I had been trying to work this afternoon - then the power
went out so I played...and then the phone rang..Matt and his
brother Tyler were together with family and friends in Fort McMurray.
Lobster was on sale - $ 10.99 per pound. Matt bought 20 or so of them
and wound up having his picture taken by Sobeys representatives - they
told him it ( the picture ) was for the flyer..so if you see a
fellow with a rather large bag of lobster in your next Sobeys flyer -
it might be Matt. I told Tyler that he should have informed Sobeys
that the two of them make a far more impressive snapshot but unfortunately
my fatherly-agently advice was too much after - the - fact...and
apparently it was too frigging cold in Fort Mac to go back.
We did share a tequila shot over the phone tonight but I wish we had been
there. We're going to have to wait until the New Year by which time
Charlene and I should officially be grandparents...the update in
status call could come at anytime.
I wish that family was closer, that times were easier, that our
( friggin ) generator worked properly , NS Power was dependable
enough that we didn't need a generator, that I could still play
guitar for more than 20 minutes before my left hand went to sleep,
that there were no Canadian service people overseas, that the
much needed , massive overhaul of our culture was over,and that I
always took the time to say something nice to all the wonderful
people with whom I am in contact daily.
Good Luck Myrna and Bruce....

"May your path be clear, your vision unclouded, your mission
fullfilling and your plate always bountifully full."

From the Song Maritime Son 2003

Be Happy...
Don