Saturday, September 16, 2023

It is said that writing is autobiographical. To a certain extent I see it as being true. It is difficult not to transmit certain aspects of yourself to your writing. I can also see that writing is not autobiographical. When you read what some authors have written , Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe to name a couple, one has to realize they are writing ideas that came to them, not through experiences but through exploration.

Today's poem was written after a conversation I had with a friend of mine where she expressed most of the thoughts contained within.

The Difference Between Us

You couldn’t hurt me

You couldn’t feel what I feel

You couldn’t see what it takes

To make what could be so real

It isn’t in you

It isn’t what can be taught

You had grow up with it

That is what is really sought

So I am moving along

It’s not what I want

But what I need

In order to be alive

It’s what I have to do

It’s what I have to have

To see success in my life

You don’t really know

How much I truly love you

How much I truly respect you

But you don’t have what I need

You don’t ever share

Don’t ever see

The importance of what we have

You need to give more

You need to talk more

You need to show you care

But that’s the difference between us

So I am moving along

It’s not what I want

But what I need

In order to be alive

It’s what I have to do

It’s what I have to have

To see success in my life

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

The book, Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach, is one of my go to books. It is quirky and flows against ideas espoused by mainstream religion. It is also one of those books that makes you think about what is being said. It is quite short and written in a style that both flows and is set apart from other books.

I return to it often when I need grounding.

The following poem was one of the ideas expressed in his follow up book, A Bridge Across Forever. I took it and expanded on it. It struck me as something that is quite true.

Makes Us So Special

Nobody knows the me you know

And nobody knows the you I know

We are two separate people

Captured in a moment

Defined only by our presence

No one can know

What we have discussed

The paths it has taken to get from there to here

The give and take that reflect only the you I see

It’s a shame other people don't know what they are missing

But then again that’s what make you, and us, so special

One of the things about being in a kayak is that you are at one with the elements. You can slice through the waves with power and quietly approach wildlife. The dichotomy is striking. I liken it to that feeling I used to get when I would be running. Start off gently, pick up the pace and then power through it as long as you can and then sit back, relax and move toward your goals. With kayaking you have to be fully aware of your surroundings. It is so peaceful at times and so thrilling when you can move and feel the wind slicing through the air or find the right balance to survive waves crashing over your kayak.

On a recent kayaking trip, 2023, the following worked its way into my sight and eventually the poem.

Cool Waters Flow

Cool waters flow

As loons glide idly by

Bristling and diving

As bullfrogs bellow

Searching for a mate

As largemouth bass

Suck flies from the surface

As a heron floats

On cushioned air

All within 5 minutes

Cool waters flow

On a summer’s day

Cutting humidity

Easing overheating

As swimmers relax

In the shadows of large trees

Practicing their strokes

That gently ripple the surface

Before being carried downstream

On a bustling current

Shakespeare in Love won the Academy Award in 1998 for best picture.It most likely didn't deserve to win. Yet, it has a certain chemistry if you are willing to just follow the story without tearing it apart for inaccuracies or other issues. I rather enjoy it as a movie. There are enough what if’s to keep me interested.

A few years later I was watching the movie when this poem popped into my brain and fell out pretty much fully formed. It really is nice when that happens! I liked it so much I put in a picture frame and kept it on the wall of my condo until I moved.

True Love Can Never Be Undone

In Shakespeare's verse there does remain

A romantic spirit of soft refrain

Where two hearts gather free and strong

Possessed of spirit, captured in song

To blend and join and meet as one

With fire so strong it blinds the sun

Yet soft it is as lambs summer wool

The cup runneth over, it is never full

One sound, one word, one simple glance

All can see the truth of romance

In evening skies where Venus does reign

On summer morns where sunflowers gain

Two hearts joined as one

True love can never be undone

by Bill Ferguson

Monday, September 4, 2023

In 2001 I was finishing up the last musical I would write for students. I was suffering from incredible burnout but was determined to finish up with something stronger than anything I had written before.

Originally this was two separate sets of lyrics, Time Is Fleeting and I Believe. On my computer they were on the same page as were all the possibilities I had written for songs. I read Time Is Fleeting over and liked it very much. I then I moved on to the next one, I Believe. It was sort of in a gospel vein. But I had thought of something for Time Is Fleeting so I went back to it and started running through the words. All of a sudden I could hear I Believe coming through loud and clear so I spent a few minutes playing around with what I heard and then quickly tried to organize it on the computer to reflect what I heard. I sort of got it but ended up writing it out by hand. In the end it didn’t matter because I had to sing it into the computer to record it so that my friend, who was and is, an amazing arranger, could interpret my singing and then work on the arrangement.

When Jenny and Rebecca sang it I thought it was perfect. When I listen to them sing it today, on our CD, I still think it sounds perfect!

Lyrics Bill Ferguson

Music Darren Worrall

Arrangement by Darren Worrall

Time Is Fleeting

(From The Musical Live In Dreams)

I watch the sunrise

I watch it set

I watch seasons change

As challenges are met

Stoke the fire well

As it fuels your soul ol, ol

Time is fleeting

Soon it will show

Time is fleeting

Time is old

You’re only young once

Come in from the cold

Keep your eyes open

Fill your heart with love

Time is fleeting

Soon it will show

Deep in your heart

Deep down in your soul

In the love that you give

The truth will show

Lift up your heart

And brighten every day ay ay

Time is fleeting

Soon it will show

I believe

Time is Fleeting

Soon it will show

Time is fleeting

Time is old

You’re only young once

Come in from the cold

Keep your eyes open

Fill your heart with love

Time is fleeting

Soon it will show

Deep in your heart I believe

Deep down in your soul I believe

In the love you give I believe

The truth will always show I believe

Lift up your heart I believe, I believe

And brighten every day I believe, I believe

Time is fleeting

Soon it will show

I believe I believe

I believe in living life I believe I believe

To do my best everyday I believe I believe

I believe in the power of love I believe I believe

To make good things stay I believe I believe

Time is fleeting

Soon it will show

I believe I believe

Time is fleeting

Time is old

You’re only young once

Come in from the cold

Keep your eyes open

Fill your heart with love

Time is fleeting

Soon it will show

by Bill Ferguson

Sunday, September 3, 2023

Lately I have been researching blues songs and their lyrics. While they originally reflected another era and way of life I appreciate their brevity and directness. While there are many different forms of lyric, some stand out and are easy to reflect on.

I started writing Be Back Another Time while in the genre and trying to follow where my thoughts on a blues form were taking me. I was surprised at where it ended up but then again this reflects something Paul McCartney said in his book on lyrics, “give it a little twist.” And I did.

Be Back Another Time

There are songs to be sung

Now I am singing me the blues

There are rags to be rung

As I am paying my dues

Waiting for the whistle

Looking for some good news

I’m heading to the store

Need to buy a bottle of wine

Maybe some flowers

Roses should be fine

I should be arriving

About dinner time

I walk up the stone path

That leads to your door

Sit down on the grass

Felt my eyes getting sore

Can’t help but thinking

I’ve never loved you more

Just finished drinking

My bottle of wine

Slipped my flowers in

That will do just fine

Leave them by your headstone

Be back another time

by Bill Ferguson

When I was growing up music wasn’t as separated as today. You would hear ballads played right next to a hard rock song, followed by bubble gum and maybe even a country song. There was only one chart and we got to hear everything.

At dances the last song is often a ballad, something that sends people home on a happy note. This is my entry into that genre.

A Song Of Love (Just For You)

Just for you

The stars will align

Just for you

The wind keeps time

Just for you

Cool winds will blow

Just for you

Smiling faces show

And in the morning

I will sing a song of love

Just for you

In the morning

I will sing a song of love

Just for you

Birds greet your touch

Just for you

A smile is never enough

Just for you

Paintings become new

Just for you

Wishes will come true

And in the morning

I will sing a song of love

Just for you

In the morning

I will sing a song of love

Just for you

by Bill Ferguson