Van's the Man

Poetinalia:

I had a specific reason for writing the Haiku below. The other night I fell into a reverie contemplative mood while sitting at my computer looking at a blank posting box such as the one I’m writing in presently. I don’t even know what these forms are formally called. So, I’m sitting here the other night, staring into this white, blank box thinking about what I was going to post to this blog. Usually I have music playing in the background. For some reason I started thinking about the CD I was listening to - Van Morrison’s Hymns To The Silence - track 3 - Hymns To The Silence. Ha!

It came to me that this particular song is my favorite of Morrison’s and I don’t know why. Is it the words? The music itself? The piano being played throughout? The timbre of his voice? I just don’t know for sure. I’ve been listening to Morrison’s music for over 20 years.. He’s my favorite recording artist, singer/songwriter. I mean, I can still cry while listening to some of his songs. Just depends on my mood.

I believe Morrison is one of a number of musical geniuses of the century. My mind wandered over the last 2+ decades to times and places where I associate his music with events. I remember, at the one and only live concert I went to Morrison, how very surprised I was to see that Morrison barely moved on stage while singing; he seemed to stand stock still and this huge voice would come out of his barrel-chest and all the energy inside him made it out through his mouth while his face turned red from exertion. I don’t think I could sing his songs standing still.

I’m not obssessed with Morrison or anything like that; it’s just that we must be on the same wavelength or something. I told my husband the other night that I wanted Morrison’s music playing while I was on my deathbed to ease my way over to the other side. And now that I think of it, perhaps at my funeral itself. I don’t think my husband appreciated me talking about my death, probably because of everything we’ve been through lately. But, I’m such a realist about these things. Thank God he’s also a Morrison fan! I might get my wishes carried out. LOL.

The quasi-haiku below is the result of my thinking about Morrison’s music and the influence its had on me over half my life (wayyyyy over half ;> ). The words just flew out of my mind and onto the page. It’s probably also why the last line is limiting, as MysticWino suggested. heh heh

Anyway, it got me wondering if other people experience the same thing; this latching on to one artist. A singer one goes to every time for comfort, for raising the spirits, for joyful noise, for pity parties, the angst bellow; the singer that satisfies every mood and intellectual yearning. I’d love to hear from anyone who comes under a similar spell.


If souls be entwined
of one mind in one heart song -
Let Van be the Man.


Janet Leigh