Our younger kids and their partners went with me to hear their father sing Britten's War Requiem yesterday afternoon, and it was a powerful and poignant blend of music and poetry to express the anguish of war and the human cost. I had tears rolling down my face by the end. Poetry can express what prose cannot and music can go beyond either to tug the body and heart. I was so pleased the kids seemed as touched as I was, and it became a kind of bonding experience. Afterward, we went to a noisy, busy restaurant we all love and patiently (well, with margaritas) waited for a table. We were naturally exuberant, perhaps because we'd faced death and were glorying in our present lives. I felt that gratitude intensely: we are alive on the plant right now and our time is brief and we are fortunate to not be in a war as are so many on this planet at this moment. We were giddy with joy.
My husband was so pleased by us coming to hear his chorus, the orchestras and another chorus. It was an easy gift, but his appreciation was palpable. He thanked us, but we should have thanked him, because the afternoon and evening was transformed by music and poetry.
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