Jun 21, 2016 Free Verse, Original Poetry, The Daily Post
Summertime
©June20th, 2016
By Vijaya Sundaram
Girls in cool tank tops
And short shorts, flashing leg,
Sipping iced mochas
And strolling through
Echo-y shopping malls,
Spending money and time
And tossing their hair
In pert insouciance,
Aware of their power.
Boys in packs, talking loudly
Swearing, chewing, drinking beer
Playing ball, throwing frisbees,
Going to movies, eyeing girls,
Spitting, shouting, laughing
Immoderately, punctuating
Everything with obscenities.
Air-conditioned cars and homes,
Smoothies, lemonade, beer
Ice-cream, lobster, tacos, pizza,
Burritos, salsa, chicken tikka masala,
Coffeehouses, bars, boats,
Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod,
New Hampshire, Vermont,
Ah, yes, Summertime is delicious!
Burning forests in Canada
Forty-nine killed in crazed nightclub massacre,
Syrian families drowned in raging seas,
Heat waves wash over suffering cities
Farmers die in despair
While crops fail again and again
And the Inferno marches in and
Burns everything in its wake.
Women cry over dying children,
Children cry over dying mothers,
Food dries up before it reaches mouths
And when the water burns all they touch,
They know it’s Summertime –
And the living ain’t easy.
Summertime
When the forests are burning
Fish are dying, and the methane is high
And the trees breathe fumes
And the lakes are all drying up
But, hush, my loving people,
Don’t you fear!
Don’t you fear that things will burn
Because you know they will
While you sit still.
So, surrender to despair:
Give in, hold your head in your hands,
And weep.
It’s okay.
Tags: #DailyPrompt, #OriginalPoetrybyVijayaSundaram, #Summertime, #TheDailyPost
Apr 28, 2013 Awake in Real Time: Coffee-induced Meditations and Journal Entries, Essays on Music and Musicians
Thinking about Summer at the Start of Spring
Some song-musings by Vijaya Sundaram
April 28th, 2013
Just thought it was time for Aaron Neville. I love his light handling of Summertime.
Mahalia Jackson has always moved me deeply with her voice and her feeling. The first time I heard her was after my French teacher in college recommended that I listen to her. She had heard me singing on stage for the college, seemed pleased, and gave me a cassette tape with these two songs (Summertime and Motherless Child) on it. I understood why when I heard both. Years later, when I was singing in the subway at Downtown Crossing in Boston, an African-American woman came up to me, dropped a couple of dollars, smiled at me and said, “Sister, you should be singin’ the blues.”
I was quite honored.
One of my all-time favorite singers is, of course, Billie Holiday. Here’s how she sings Summertime.
Another singer of the angelic host is Ella Fitzgerald. Here’s her version of Summertime.
I could scarcely believe my ears when I heard Janice Joplin sing Summertime. Hope you enjoy this rendition! (Definitely a departure from the beautiful, lulling tones of Ella, but compelling nonetheless!)
And finally, here’s the sublime Sam Cooke singing Summertime.
Did you guess I like the song? 🙂
I’ll be back with other favorites.
Goodnight, sweet dreams and hope this summer will not be too scorching.
Love,
Dreamer of Dreams
Tags: #Summertime, Aaron Neville, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin, Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke