SOL #4
I have met many wonderful and creative people through blogging. A few years ago I joined the Poetry Friday round up. Poetry is a passion of mine. I use poetry often in my classroom, and I enjoy writing it. And who doesn’t love a good challenge? So when Laura Shovan posted her February Birthday Challenge, I took part. She posted sounds as poetry prompts. Turns out 14 of us wrote 177 poems to 28 sounds. Pretty impressive.
One of the sounds we wrote about was an electric guitar which reminded me of playing Guitar Hero with my nephew and getting beaten badly. Apparently, Jack has impeccable rhythm. Last summer, he started taking drumming lessons. He got a djembe for Christmas. I didn’t really know about his djembe playing until my sister posted a video of him from their California vacation. (My talented trumpet playing niece was marching with her band in the Rose Bowl parade.)
Musical talent runs in my family. In the dining room of my parents’ home is a life-sized portrait of my grandmother with her violin. My mother has her masters in piano and taught lessons in our home for many years. My brother has the gene, too. (We say it’s in the left hand as they are all left-handed.) Hunter is a professional musician. He plays keyboard and sings solo or with a band most nights of the week. So it was inevitable that someone would inherit the talent.
My sister says Jack’s rhythm is innate. He danced to the beat of her tapping a cinnamon container at 18 months. She remembers Mom telling a similar story about our brother who danced to the rhythm of her stirring cake batter.
Laura’s challenge pushed me to add a poem to the video. Here is Jack playing the djembe wowing the crowds at Santa Monica pier. My poem runs in the ticker tape at the bottom.
When I played Guitar Hero,
beat on a fake guitar
sent light waves to a TV screen,
the cartoon me danced in time,
but I missed the beat.
Not Jack
He is the guitar hero.
A natural born rock star
The beat is in the palms of his hands
drumming the djembe–
a ten-year-old marvel.
–Margaret Simon
Reflections on the Teche 
What a fun gift for him! And –wow—he is so good! (love the poem, as well!)
Music makes the world a kinder place. You are fortunate to be surrounded by so many notes.
I’m left-handed and have not inherited any musical talent, darn it! 😦 I love the ticker tape poem running underneath the video. Very cool!
WOW, Margaret! That is amazing!! I love your poem, and that was a brilliant idea to put it with the video of your nephew. Very, very cool Slice!
What a neat video and poem. It is amazing that an instrument so simple can create that much music.
My brother is a drummer, Margaret, & I love watching him do all he can do with every kind of drum. I love seeing your nephew playing the djembe, just awesome & it looks like he had a special experience too. It always makes me wish I could do that!
That was so cool – a ten-year-old marvel, indeed.
WOW… I am buying you a drum for your birthday and we can dance along the bayou under a full moon : )