The real Dear Mama
All of the moments I've thought about writing for this blog feel like the biggest and most important when you think of them individually. This one even moreso then some others, I know Wil Gibson a lot of people do that have attended Port Veritas. He's more then a regular or a core part of the group like Juba he's one of great monuments for us like the grand canyon.
I know him outside of this context I've seen him work, seen him memorize and plow forward just as hard offstage as on. On one Saturday hanging around with him at his place(in a terrible part of town a block from where I live) he read me a new poem he had written and I was unprepared for it. It was too much for me at the time, i told him was him hitting a "next level" just because I knew that It was so beyond where I could ever go.
That next tuesday came around and there's no point buying a fast car if your not going to pick a lonely highway to ride it on. He was destined to do the unveiling and Nate was hosting which was perfect. Nate will always be that top dog that forces Wil to surpass his best continually. Nate introduced him briefly and stepped aside so it could start.
His voice was low and he coughed out some of the words, I was getting it this time letting it connect to me. It was so scary because it could, no it will be me. Wil had written a poem not to be a poem at all but as a simple letter to his mother. Its scary because Wil loves his mother like I do, like no one or nothing ever touches that not even Dad not even faith not even GOD.
She's dead. She died a long time ago but as he read he was singing to us the song of constant sorrow the side of you that never recovers from the most important thing being gone. Dear Mama, he said and he appologized for not being enough for not amounting to the greatness she gave him every day. It wasn't just me who felt that shit, everyone was blown right out of position people were crying and wiping away tears. It took everything for him to hold together thats how I knew and how he knew that this was the perfect piece. When he left stage Nate was speechless and took a moment...Nate's a pro and he doesn't usually need a moment.
He read that piece again for me a while ago and its always frozen in the moment, after he was done he had to put his notebook away. It takes a lot out of him. It takes a lot of all of us but it puts a lot back in, a lot about being human.
thanks Wil.
I know him outside of this context I've seen him work, seen him memorize and plow forward just as hard offstage as on. On one Saturday hanging around with him at his place(in a terrible part of town a block from where I live) he read me a new poem he had written and I was unprepared for it. It was too much for me at the time, i told him was him hitting a "next level" just because I knew that It was so beyond where I could ever go.
That next tuesday came around and there's no point buying a fast car if your not going to pick a lonely highway to ride it on. He was destined to do the unveiling and Nate was hosting which was perfect. Nate will always be that top dog that forces Wil to surpass his best continually. Nate introduced him briefly and stepped aside so it could start.
His voice was low and he coughed out some of the words, I was getting it this time letting it connect to me. It was so scary because it could, no it will be me. Wil had written a poem not to be a poem at all but as a simple letter to his mother. Its scary because Wil loves his mother like I do, like no one or nothing ever touches that not even Dad not even faith not even GOD.
She's dead. She died a long time ago but as he read he was singing to us the song of constant sorrow the side of you that never recovers from the most important thing being gone. Dear Mama, he said and he appologized for not being enough for not amounting to the greatness she gave him every day. It wasn't just me who felt that shit, everyone was blown right out of position people were crying and wiping away tears. It took everything for him to hold together thats how I knew and how he knew that this was the perfect piece. When he left stage Nate was speechless and took a moment...Nate's a pro and he doesn't usually need a moment.
He read that piece again for me a while ago and its always frozen in the moment, after he was done he had to put his notebook away. It takes a lot out of him. It takes a lot of all of us but it puts a lot back in, a lot about being human.
thanks Wil.
posted by veritas2 at
6:00 AM
1 Comments:
There are some things that I'll never remember. Some I'll never forget. That's one of them. Wil hit his stride with that piece and has been barreling ahead full bore ever since. Great piece Dan. Keep it coming.
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