Category — Music

I missed you, when the heated rhythm of Salsa

- that feels so like chillies when they touch

your tongue – drifted across the dance floor.

I missed you as this enticing music reached

my jewelled pinned ears.

Where were you? when the luscious sounds of

Sax blues, caught my needy toes

so carefully encased in high dancing shoes.

Where were those slim ‘sun touched’ hands that would

reach to twirl me to the dance floor.

Where was the graceful dancer, whose gentle persuasion

could spin me like a whirlpool, making me turn

and sway to the sounds of Latin beats and Bluesy tones.

Tell me, where were those magical eyes,

those sparkling rays of light, that always laughed with me.

Where was that smile, those breathy movements on the dance floor, those feet that could glide and coax

the dancer from my soul…

How my heart wants to dance with you once more,

instead of standing alone when the music calls to me.

I watched the others spin and whirl but my arms were empty,

sadness for your charms that made me feel like sixteen again.

I was never a wallflower but she has found me now,

where were you… when the deliciously heated sound of Salsa reached my ears… where were you?

@ Copyright 2009 Susie Hemingway.

Photo Susie and Hamada –Alex 1986. Wallflower Photo courtesy of Janey Johnson Photos. 2009

*This Poem was Posted On The Day Patrick Swazey Died Of Pancreatic Cancer. He Was A Wonderful Dancer bringing much pleasure to many ladies who saw him in the enchanting film “Dirty Dancing”  So I dedicate this poem to Patrick and to all lovers of dancing . “May Patrick continue to dance in Heaven”

Hamada continues much the same, sleeping his way through most days, bless him. He is trying to conserve/find some energy for a forthcoming special event. Son Matt’s
40TH Birthday, when the whole family will be here for a long weekend. We hope to make this a very special occasion and so we need Hamada, if he can of course, to be able to join us – at a very special place, for the evening celebrations. So fingers crossed for that.

I have recently been playing the new CD of Melody Gardot, this music of the ’sleepy Jazz type’ that Hamada and I love, it seems to have such a relaxing effect on us both, we imagine dancing together as we did just a few years ago – see my poem “We Dance Again” below.

If you would like something to take your mind of ‘horrid things’ and I know many readers here do. Try the lovely sound of Melody Gardot and her new CD “My One And Only Thrill” Listen to the enchanting “Our Love Is Easy” and the sensual track of the named album, “My One and Only Thrill” and the very delicious “Deep Within The Corners of My Mind” – I so wished I had written that! The wonderful orchestral backing which is quite perfect runs through these tracks, so if you are stressed and worried, this is indeed, very ‘good medicine’ as it takes you easily on a much needed journey…

An evening with the Ploughmans Bunch and friends coming up next Saturday in our little village.  Looking forward to that, a great group see http://www.pbunch.blogspot.com and www.myspace.com/ploughmensbunch. Oh dear! and I forgot I am reading a couple of my poems too! should be a fun evening.

Being a great fan of the group “Elbow” I was so delighted to see them win the  Mercury Awards this week for their fabulous Album  “Seldom Seen Kid”  A group that has been together for almost eighteen years, so this prestigious award is really well deserved.  I love  the simply wonderful lyrics to all their songs which manage to take you on a private  journey.  The amazingly clever and oh! so romantic lyrics of  “The Bones Of You”  stirs my heart.  Each track  with it’s unique story, allows the listener to escape from reality for a while.  Try listening  to “The Loneliness Of  A Tower Crane Driver ” which Guy Garvey sings with such great passion and heart wrenching pain.

Elbow seemed truly amazed that they had won this award but for me the pleasure from listening daily to their music, I felt it was not before time, to be really recognised as one of our great British groups . Long may they continue to produce music of this caliber.

On Saturday we were invited to a wonderful  50th birthday party for a friend who lives in the same village. It was so beautifully planned, I believe there was upwards of one hundred and thirty persons present, yet the organization was amazing.  A fantastic live band which always sets the scene  for me, was ensconced under a canopy,  and arriving to the gentle sounds of a saxophone was very pleasing. It was held in the extremely large rear garden  of a village house and there was something for everyone, the children had loads to do as there was a wonderful ‘Sumo ‘ wrestling’ game among many others.  The food was scrumptious, with a wonderful ‘hog-roast’ and some amazing desserts.  We chatted and danced to some wonderful old tunes and what a perfect evening it all was.

You are never too old to learn to enjoy something new. Never dismiss something as not being for you, not your type of thing, not something you do!  wear, read or eat.  Never say that’s not for me.  Never at any age,  for such joy comes from trying lots of new and different things.

When I was sixty last year my eldest son very kindly brought me an Ipod Nano  you know, the tiny headphones you see tucked in the ears of  many young  people, and runners alike. He was asked by some “what are you buying your Mum for this special birthday” and his friends were quite surprised at his choice of gift, saying that they “didn’t think this was quite the gift for a sixty year old”  Well, being as astute as he is, and knowing his Mother’s taste well, my Son decided that this was just the right gift for me.  I have always loved  music, all of my life, from the very early days when, with my precious one shilling and sixpence, approx. 8p of  today’s money, I would purchase in a high street  Woolworth’s,  a small Embassy record of my choice and sometimes the odd lipstick!  I would then play the chosen record till it warped, on a very poor record player, that always got hot after just a few turns!  Still my love of music never wavered.  Not just ‘Pop’,  just about everything -  Jazz, Country, Opera, and the’ Blues’ -  I was never far from away from music, dancing my way through life, and  later with a little radio tuned into the London Music Stations and then in the seventies, my precious collection of cassettes, in my little  Beetle Car with the said Son singing away in the back.

But now Oh! the joy of this Ipod,  to be able to ‘download’ all my most favourite tunes from so many years, to be able to add hundreds of specially selected songs, that have meant so much to me. Reminding me of the places and times when I heard them first – to be able to hear just every single word clearly, every lovely note -  and to be able to listen to all the latest music and keep up with some of the music my sons enjoy and now, so do I.

Most of my readers know my husband is fighting the most dreadful disease  Multiple Myeloma see: http://www.susiehemingway.blogspot.com  and he spends many hours resting.  So no longer do I have to be concerned about disturbing him. When things are rough and some days they are, waiting for hours in hospital clinics, or dealing with something I would rather not be doing, out comes my trusty ‘Ipod’. It never lets me down with it’s clarity of sound and special memories.  I  revisit places and times and relive clearly the many nights spent dancing under the stars,when on our travels in the Middle East. Songs when the children were young and we would all sing together. If you can, please try one,  don’t dismiss it as some modern gadget belonging only to the young and not really for you. Make your collection, take yourself  back and recreate your special times through music .

Although I miss the phone ringing and door bell quite often! what great exercise it is, to be able to dance around each day and drift off to sleep at night listening to my favourite songs, attached to this very special gift indeed… thank you, lovely Man – Joy Oh! Joy.