Beautiful Bruce

One day you're waiting for the sky to fall
The next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all.
~ Lovers in a Dangerous Time, Bruce Cockburn

Ah Bruce….Canadian icon in the music world. The above song is playing as I sit down to write this entry so why not make it the theme today? I have some fond memories of several of his concerts. I think I should go and see him here in April as one of my 50th celebrations. I don’t recall if the Winnipeg Folk Festival was the first time I ever heard Bruce but it was probably one of the most intense. He had just written If I had a rocket launcher and his anger was raw. I understood the intensity of his emotions after I had been to Guatemala, my first real foray into a land where the people had been destroyed by armies backed by the United States. I sat riveted to his music and stories that night on the main stage.

Another awesome memory I have was seeing him in Washington, DC. I forget the forum but I saw him twice there while working at Sojourners Magazine and this was the indoor event. It was “winter” I think because I remember wearing a coat. At an intermission I remember hearing a voice call out, “Hey, Canada, I thought you would be here!” It was a guy I had met on retreat at Kirkbridge and had developed a HUGE crush on. Wow! He scored more points by showing up at that concert. More so, when he started leaping over rows of chairs to get down to my level and chat me up. Ok, yeah, you’re right if you are reading this and thinking I remember that moment more than the concert itself.

I think one of the other reasons I am crazy about Bruce besides his excellent music is his humanitarian efforts. He speaks out intelligently and passionately through his music and work. His new album, which I have not yet heard, has some songs about the war in Afghanistan that I am interested in hearing.

He is a poet and I am dazzled by the beauty he creates.

Peace,

Suzanne