Friday, May 6, 2011

"Friday Night Frolic" - Three Little Birds

Original artwork by Geninne at http://www.geninne.com/

Every little thing gonna be alright...

That is, if you are not polishing a pomegranate on your denim pants in the Finest Supermarket in Kabul, Afghanistan, or hunting for the ripest mango at the outdoor marketplace in  Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan, or getting your blood pressure checked at a health center in Fallujah, Iraq, or maybe, just maybe, tossing organic eggplant into your wicker basket at Marché Raspail in Paris' 6th arrondissement, or riding the tube in London when some cult-trained child on a suicidal missioninspired by the recent martyrdom of Osama bin Laden, or directed by the Taliban or some other crazed, radical militiadecides to tug the cord on his vest.

Every little thing gonna be alright...

Have you seen the headlines today? Bin Laden's computer has been hacked and analyzed, revealing master terrorism plans. Bin Laden was more than just a figurehead. This, and months of secret surveillance by the CIA prior to the assassination. So, while I'm still unsettled, I've got to give props to our men and women over therein the mountains, plains and deserts of the Middle Easta place, at the moment, I would not choose to be. Those who choose to serve have my greatest appreciation.

Every little thing gonna be alright...

My aunt and uncle flew from Paris back to their comfortable, coastal New England home earlier this week. With heightened security post bin Laden execution, they were most likely far safer on that Airbus A380 than some folks on ground. In particular places on this earth.

Every little thing gonna be alright...

A man's life can be cut short by just about anything. By war, by accident, by crime, by stupidity, by failure to take care of ones body or soul, or by stealth, arbitrary war, against whose armamenthungry, hostile mutants that consume body—we have no defense.

In that manner, the last, cancer, we lost the man who inspires today's Frolic. A man at the very top of my son's "Favorite" music list.  A man who knew that war does not prevent terrorism.

What war does, he understood, is to grease the axles of the bellicose and twisted machinations maculating the world, thus extending their useful life.

What he gave us will last many lifetimes, and many more wars.



And the absolute rule of venal leaders. And the world's insistence for expiation.  


Until.


Every little thing gonna be alright...


27 comments:

  1. Jayne....thanks for visiting me.

    I like what you have said here,
    and so sorry we lost Bob Marley....I didn't know.

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  2. Yeah, fighting violence with violence is a curious idea indeed.

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  3. Another eloquent post Jayne-love it!

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  4. Lo- Some time ago! But he lives on forever.

    tattytiara- Yes, I wonder what kitty would think. ;)

    Tim- Thanks. A bit somber for FNF but, hell, I can't always be chipper.

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  5. One loved Bob Marley. A great fellow.

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  6. Any time I'm having trouble feeling chipper, I remember the chipper scene in Fargo. That's a day-brightener.

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  7. Art, literature, music, makes "everything" alright.

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  8. You just cannot listen to Marley and not feel better! It just isn't possible:)

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  9. 3 Little Birds is one of my absolute favorites.

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  10. ...war does not prevent terrorism. What war does [...] is to grease the axles of the bellicose and twisted machinations maculating the world.

    Amen.

    And you're right: one can't always be chipper. You seem to have a gift which suits both moods, however!

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  11. love friday night frolics on a saturday morning.

    bob marley has the sweetest voice!

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  12. Billy Pilgrim stole my thunder because I also read your Friday night posts on Saturday morning....I forgive you Billy.
    Excellent choice of music on this post as always Jayne, I feel very mellow after listening to Bob Marley!

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  13. Oh gosh! We used to have Bob Marley parties back in the 70's. Out in the woods, his music playing from one of our car 8-tracks,smoking large...Oops! That was a lifetime ago, but they are good memories. It was also in the 70's that I first became aware of the word "terrorist" and all that was associated with it. Yes, two very far ends of the spectrum covered here, Bob Marley vs. Osama bin Laden.

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  14. Indeed, so many things can take us out in a heartbeat... that included. Hungry hostile mutants have tried to eat my heart - twice. As I recover I am keenly aware of people both alive and dead who I have known; and what little things of consequence sometimes stand between those two extremes. Each day on the planet is a gift.

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  15. Hi Jayne,
    As usual...great post. I love the page breaks between thoughts with the phrase "every little thing gonna be alright". As you say a life can end in any number of ways and knowing that is the case could reduce us to chronic paranoia but don't we counter that with optimistic thoughts as well. The two Bob Marley songs were such great examples of that complete sense of accepting what is meant to be will be.

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  16. So wonderful. Sad and true. I always stop by to read your Friday night frolics! Love your writing. =)

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  17. Laoch- Gone too soon.

    Murr- Aaahhh! Oh yes, that was a very colorful scene! ;)

    Antares- It's exactly where I go when I need for it to be alright. :)

    Debbie- That sounds like a challenge. And you would definitely win!

    Danger- Swinging sweet songs... such a simple message. And absolutely perfect.

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  18. Oh JES- Thank you for that. I've never felt like I had any particular gift, but writing, and sharing what I write, sure makes me happy. :-)

    BP- Marley works well any time of day, any day, now doesn't he? ;)

    Paul- Billy's very good at that. And mellow is very good! :)

    Leonora- We did too! Do you think kids are still doing that these days, listening to Marley? Having Marley. I know my son loves him, but I'm not so sure I'd want him going to one of those parties. Ya man, maybe not. ;)

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  19. Robert- Every day a gift--precisely. I've read your posts, so I know what you've been going through, and as much as you claim to be a skeptic, I see an amazing amount of optimism between the lines. I'm wishing you Godspeed whether you want it or not. ;)

    Cheryl- Thank you. And yes, you're right we do counter, we must counter--its one of those survival tools we simply can't live without. Though we often have to be reminded of it. ;)

    Tana- Thank you sweet, Tana. I'm so glad you enjoy the Frolics. If you were the only person who read them, I'd still write them just for you! ;)

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  20. You wrote:

    "What war does, he understood, is to grease the axles of the bellicose and twisted machinations maculating the world, thus extending their useful life."

    And this is precisely stated.

    Put another way, so many years ago, by Randolph Bourne:

    "War is the health of the state."

    But, as you remind us here, every little thing is gonna be alright.

    A beautiful post.

    Peace, Paul

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  21. Paul- I remember reading about Bourne many years ago when I picked up John Dos Passos' trilogy. When the world finally starts accepting--and acting upon--the ideas of some of these brilliant minds, that's when everything will REALLY be alright. ;)

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  22. I've always had a thing for Bob. Where I grew up he was a modern prophet. A piercing post.

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  23. Oh so beautifully (and depressingly) articulated, dear Jayne.

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  24. Angella- Even in New England I always thought of him as a modern day prophet. ;)

    Shrinky- Thank you! :)

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  25. I really like the way you marry music and your thoughts/feelings/responses. And it's always great to be reminded of amazing individuals such as Bob Marley.

    Reading this post led me to listen to 'Redemption Song'.

    Always a pleasure to read such thoughtful posts - thank you Jayne.

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  26. If you like Stanley K, you can't be that bad :)

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