The new year is to start at sunset so I will be off-line but I thought I would leave you with this little bit of Jewish wisdom….
On a lighter note, it is said fate is written on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur so it is only fitting that I close the close the virtual shutters with Leonard Cohen performing Who by Fire. May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for another year.
Time to shutter the blinds and lock the virtual doors on the blog. This week I thought I would end with an Israeli satricial show — TheTribal Update. Besides this lets me practice my Hebrew comprehension – but never fear, I found episodes with English subtitles.
I decided I would do something I haven’t done in a while and will shut my virtual doors on the blog with a Leonard Cohen song. I am dedicating this one to 20 former board members of the Conservative Calgary West Riding Association whose democratic rights were trampled by the leadership of the Conservative Party. Those 20 former board members made decision not to rubber stamp a nomination process which failed to respect the membership’s rights to a democratic process. Here, Here!
Lyric Highlight:
It’s coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin’
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Like a great many others, I have been waiting to see if the Israeli government is prepared to meet the Hamas’ price for the return of kidnapped IDF solider Gilad Shalit. I suspect the Israeli government will meet Hamas’ price with conditions – like the released prisoners will only be allowed to take up residency in the Gaza Strip – sort of a weird invoking of the Pottery Barn rule – you bartered for them – you keep them. We will see.
In the meantime, my friend Beachnut, who often makes an appearance in the comments, owns her own liquor store – in Canada! Of course, its not Ontario – we aren’t that progressive yet. Anyhoo, last night she felt the need of a little Leonard Cohen, but her bad as she caught after I was long gone off-line. It was morning by the time I caught up to her and I am strictly not in the mood for Cohen but since I fill the self-appointed role of broadening her musical horizons there is another Jew…Matisyahu – One Day .
there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
In keeping with the abovenoted quote, and in light of the record number of visitors coming from the heart of our government; I think its only fitting that I shut the virtual doors with Leonard Cohen’s Democracy.
Lyrical Highlight:
It’s coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin’
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.
Long weekend, and a longer trip out of town for me and part of the tribe so I thought it best to close up with this Leonard Cohen oldie – Take this longing:
You’re faithful to the better man,
I’m afraid that he left.
So let me judge your love affair
in this very room where I have sentenced
mine to death.
I’ll even wear these old laurel leaves
that he’s shaken from his head.
Just take this longing from my tongue,
all the useless things my hands have done,
let me see your beauty broken down,
like you would do for one you love.
Like you would do for one you love.
Eighteen years ago today, at 8:33pm, my beloved daughter, the Last Amazon (aka known affectionately as Kiki-Tzipporah – and yes I have a Moshe too), becomes legally responsible for herself. She can vote, enter into a legal contract, apply for a credit card, get married or buy a lottery ticket. As cliche as it is, I remember the evening of her birth with absolutely clarity as it was also the first time I was absolutely terrified. I never even held a newborn in my arms let alone having to be responsible for another human being. It took days for the fear to leave me.
If I could change one thing about her life it would be that she would have had the opportunity to know and love her great-grandparents as I knew them and loved them. I have tried to make them real for her by telling her their stories and surrounding her with their images. She has grown-up knowing the weight and feel of her great-grandmother’s jewelery and I taught her Shema as it was taught to me. I have tried to parent her as they parented me with a fierce love and a tender respect. Any mistakes I made along the way are completely of my own devising and anything I did right – was because I learned the lessons they taught me.
She quite a young woman, my Kiki Tzipporah. She has shown me she has steel in her spine and the fire in her eyes to take on anything that sets her soul on fire. I like to think my grandparents would approve. So I am breaking somewhat with tradition and will sign off the blog with a poet from her own generation instead – Brett Dennen – Ain’t No Reason
Lyrical Highlight:
The wind blows wild and I may move,
The politicians lie and I am not fooled.
You don’t need no reason or a three piece suit to argue the truth.
The air on my skin and the world under my toes,
Slavery stitched into the fabric of my clothes,
Chaos and commotion wherever I go, love I try to follow.
I took the last two days off and lost myself in drawing and painting. I have done very little writing or reading. It is high season for birthdays with the Tribe. I didn’t feel much like celebrating mine, mostly because, my birthday is a time of loss. My friends and loved ones seem to have a particular affintiy for either dying on my birthday or being buried on my birthday so it’s a day of the dead for me. Anyway, today’s song for shutting down the virtual shutters is Lady Midnight. I am never really quite sure what this song is about but I do most closely associate it with my particular dark and stormy mood.
I came by myself to a very crowded place;
I was looking for someone who had lines in her face.
I found her? there but she was past all concern;
I asked her to hold me, I said, lady, unfold me,
But she scorned me and she told me
I was dead and I could never return.
Well, I argued all night like so many have before,
Saying, whatever you give me, I seem to need so much more.
Each singer has recorded, at one time or another, a cover version of today’s closing song. This song happens to be one of my least favourite Cohen song but it is definitely one of his most recorded songs. It might have been easier to list who hasn’t recorded a version of it than start listing who has.
I discovered a CBC piece following-up on the real-life Suzanne who acted as Muse for Cohen’s song. Turns out she is homeless and living out of her car in Venice Beach, California.
Lyric:
Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she’s half crazy
But that’s why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you’ve always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you’ve touched her perfect body with your mind.
Closing is happening earlier this week as my drawing pad is calling my name and it is a call I will answer. This week’s closing song comes from the comments of last week, and is both for Bob and Candace. There are many versions of this song floating around but I chose this one because it is a plea to heaven, and anyone can plead to heaven, so I chose the sound of a lamentation over beauty. Besides, I suspect heaven is more familiar with the sound of our voices in sorrow than in joy.
I don’t know where I picked up this piece of esoteric imagery but it has stayed with me since I came across it. It is said that the sounds of our prayers are carried up to the heavens and held lovingly, word by word, in the hands of the Mal’achim Adonai, and only then released, when they reach the court of heaven. May it be so – If it be your will.
Lyric:
If it be your will
That a voice be true From this broken hill I will sing to you From this broken hill All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing From this broken hill All your praises they shall ring
