I'm watching "Primetime Live" right now, Diane Sawyer's interview with Brad Pitt. Alright, I confess that a small, very very small, tiny, miniscule part of me was vaguely curious about Brangelina (Lord, I love these nicknames). But I am hooked not by the lurid details of Pitt's love life, but by his modesty and the raw emotion with which he speaks of fighting poverty and AIDS in Africa.
I speak of The One Campaign, started by Bono, and supported by dozens of celebrities, thousands of churches, millions of 'civilians'. This campaign seeks to raise awareness in this country, this abundant, luxurious, well-watered and well-fed country, of the poverty and sickness and need that millions of Africans -- particularly women and children -- suffer every minute.
I listen to Pitt's voice break as he speaks: "I can't fathom it." And I don't have the heart to be mad at the media for manipulating my emotions, or to be cynical at Pitt and think he's faking it. He's not faking it.
The One Campaign.
Be a sucker.
Check it out.
***
TREMBLING . . .
Once in a long blue moon, I am moved to weep by a song I hear. The music, the words, the chords, the tone make me acknowledge that place deep in the pit of my stomach, hidden away somewhere around my spine, behind my liver, under the intestines, in a dark dark place that doesn't get much light for it would shrivel in the face of such exposure. And then it wells up, ripping up through my guts and gushing through my windpipe until I can't breathe, and have to let the tear ducts fill up and flow out to relieve the pressure.
The last song that made me feel this way, so full and satisfied and wistful and hopeless and hopeful all at once, was "Baby," whispered to me by Dave Matthews in the dark summer nights of 2003.
And now, in the summer of 2005, it's Jason Mraz, coming straight at me with "Sleeping to Dream," off of his live album "Tonight, Not Again." I am struck by this song because ... well, you know when you can't find the words to say what you want to say? And it's so good that I found someone else to say it for me so perfectly. It's miraculous, really. The words to say what I want to say ...
I'm feeling like a lost little boy in a brand new town
I'm counting my sheep and each one that passes
is another dream to ashes
and they all fall down.
As I lay me down tonight,
I close my eyes and what a beautiful sight
I'm sleeping to dream about you
I'm so tired of having to live without you
So I'm sleeping to dream about you and I'm so tired
I found myself in the riches (Your eyes, your lips, your hair.)
Well you were everywhere
But I woke up in the ditches.
I hit the light and I thought you might be here
but you were nowhere.
You were nowhere at home.
As I lay me back to sleep
Lord I pray that I can keep
Sleeping to dream about you
I'm so tired of having to live without you
So I'm sleeping to dream about you and I'm so tired
(It's just a little a lullaby to keep myself from crying myself to sleep at night.)
Sleeping to dream about you
I'm so tired of having to live without you
So I'm sleeping to dream about you and I'm so tired
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