THE MANDALA IS BREAKING UP
The
UAC mandala is dissolving. The last day is already here. I have to
remind myself that, like the intricate sand mandalas of the Tibetan
Buddhists that once finished are swept into a pile and tossed into a
river, it is not the colored sand that is the mandala and blessing, but
the act of offering and making the design. We have all offered ourselves
to one another here; how inspiring.
When I
first arrived in New Orleans, time seemed to crawl by and each day was
an endless display of promising events. But each succeeding day has gone
by faster and faster, like two trains passing, until today we are
suddenly at the end. I already see that leaving all of this is going to
somewhat painful. I was afraid of that.
Much of
my experience here has been like a dream or movie in which the cast of
my many astrological friends appear one after another in succession. I
am awake in my own dream. As for my Facebook friends, I have met scores
of you in person for the first time and, although we have never seen
each other face-to-face, we were already old friends. It has been such a
treat to meet you!
In my life I wear several
hats, including being a musician. I had to skip the UAC banquet I was
looking forward to when I received a dinner invitation from Ben Jaffe
(the owner and creative director of the Preservation Jazz Hall), and the
son of Hall founders Allan and Sandra Jaffe. Ben also plays tuba and
bass for the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. This was an offer I could not
refuse. It was a wonderful evening, just a few folks meeting at an
incredible home for food and conversation.
Attending
was acclaimed musician John Boutte, who wrote the theme song and other
music for HBO's original series, "Treme." I had lunch with Boutte
earlier in the week. Also there was the legendary musician Charlie
Gabriel, a 79-year-old clarinetist who also plays in the Preservation
Hall Band. Luke Winslow-King, who played music at our UAC booth twice
this week, was also there, along with Celia Sinclair (who helped out in
our booth). Celia is the daughter of my long-time friend, poet, and
activist John Sinclair. My old friend Bill Lynn picked me up at the
hotel and brought me back. We had a delicious and vegetarian (mostly
vegan) meal, so it was almost like home, what a wonderful time.
Today
I will be tying up loose ends and (quite symbolically) taking down our
booth sometime around 2 PM. After that I have no idea what I will do,
probably say goodbye to as many folks as I can and prepare to head to
the airport early Wednesday morning. I will soon be back home in a small
town in mid-Michigan with my family, so far away from all this. Au
revoir to New Orleans and to all of you at UAC.
Michael
[Photo of Charlie Gabriel, not by me]
 |
| Charlie Gabriel, Clarinetist and member of the Preservation Hall Band |
No comments:
Post a Comment