"I Have A 'Black History Month' Dream!" (me!) sandra, tvgp
and in my dream of dreams, this performance piece is available in book form as a great read, but is also a script, to be performed specifically in February, (* and note here, my Feb 13th bday) annually, in high school and college campuses everywhere.
* I wrote Kissin' The Chocolate Blues during my tenure as Pleasanton, California's Poet Laureate. It is a "Thank You!" Valentine to the author, speaker, writer, humanitarian that most influenced my daily, and my writing life: Dr Maya Angelou
* It opens with my sharing about reading I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, when I was in 4th grade, and being glued to every word, attaching to her story, feeling like friends with her family members, and learning so much about a world and culture I knew nothing about. It was the first autobiography I ever read -And, as I had been kidnapped and sexually violated at age 6 -this common suffering bonded me with the author in a permanent and profound way.
* I share how I eventually happened across Dr Maya Angelou on TV, and this was the first time I was able to put a real life face and [majestic] voice, with the person who wrote the book that so enriched my life -and how amazed with her confidence I became..
* I share about the several long letters I wrote her...
* ...about my pursuit to meet her in person, get an autographed book and a picture with her
* I share about seeing her on TV at President Clinton's inauguration, and listening to her read On the Pulse of Morning -but how, during this time in my life, I had been kidnapped/raped again, by a different predator -was suffering from PTSD and lost my love for the author -and for life itself.
* I share about my healing, and include as a feature, a response poem to On the Pulse of Morning, titled, That's One Slippery Rock
* I share about seeing Dr Maya Angelou speak on three different occasions, sharing her with friends/family, and
* I share about receiving multiple autographed books by Dr Maya Angleou, which I have now on both my shelf, and as wall hangings in my bedroom and art studio
* There is a song by KT Tunstall, called, Suddenly I See, and this is a theme & featured song of the story & performance. The very first time I heard it, and understood the lyrics -I thought of Dr Maya Angelou immediately
****
Kissin' The Chocolate Blues was performed one night only, at the Firehouse Art Center in Pleasanton, California in February 2014. My cast included only 3 women: Myself, as myself; Faith Alpher as Dr Maya Angelou and Jessica Reaber who sang and played Suddenly I See.
It was well received by the audience, and I enjoyed learning about its impact on individuals in the lobby after the performance. All the work I put into it was indeed justified and rewarded.
Although I do not care entirely for public speaking (but did earn a Competent Toastmaster Degree) -When I am on stage -reading- and sharing this story My heart is on fire with energy and it felt wonderful!
I would love to have it filmed -And I would love to pass it on for others to perform.
For this i continue to pray... in Jesus Name, amen.
/it is how i came up with the title -combining black history month; I know why the caged bird sings, valentines; my bday, presidents day, chocolate, romance... stir.
***
Poetry History:
while Dr Maya Angelou did pen a poem titled, Caged Bird (...the caged bird sings with a fearful trill, of things unknown but longed for still...)
I know why the caged bird sings, the title of her autobiography, was named by her friend, Abbey Lincoln Roach, who borrowed the phrase from a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, titled Sympathy
an excerpt, the last stanza, is this:
I Know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore, --
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven flings ---
I know why the caged bird sings!
****
this is just fun for me:
when i did title my performance, i used Kissin' vs. Kissing. -and i believe i was subconsciously influenced because Dr Maya Angelou employs that abbreviation style frequently also. i refer to it as 'talk writing' or 'talk typing' -i suppose now we could say, 'talk textin'
it's when you lean more toward how words sound in conversation vs. how they are actually spelled in a formal dictionary.
also,
unintentional, but check this out: i often abbreviate, Kissin' The Chocolate Blues to, KTCB,
and what do you know: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
remember, i am nothing, if not self-entertaining.
Happy Black History Month, Happy Birthday all you Aquarians! Happy President's Day...
what's the common denominator? Happy! #firehouseartcenter
posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 10:32 AM
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