In A Little While

That is the name of a U2 song I absolutely love.

I was sitting in the drive through line at Dunkin Donuts yesterday when it came up on my radio. The line was long and slow moving so I kept getting the opportunity to put my head back, close my eyes and listen.

When a song makes you do that you know you have something.

It was a special moment.

And continuing the U2 connection............I was driving home on New Year's Eve listening to the U2 station on Sirius when the "DJ" segued into a poetry segment. Featured an Irish poet name of John O'Donahue. Another Irish poet, I didn't catch his name, was paying tribute to him. And what a beautiful tribute.

I found a new poet. Holy shit, you don't know how much that means to me and how perfect is the timing.

I love poetry and vowed to pursue it vigorously in 2021. And here I had a fantastic poet dropped right into my lap. On New Year's Fucking Eve. Don't you find that meaningful?

First of all this is what I love about Sirius and especially about U2. That you can veer off into uncharted waters and examine other forms of creativity. It's all about creative expression, not just rock 'n roll.

I had FM radio when I was a kid and this was long before fucking playlists. DJ's could do anything they wanted to do. And they did.

If a rock song suggested jazz, suddenly you were listening to a full side of Miles Davis. They read poetry. Played avant-garde stuff you had to work to appreciate. It was spectacular. Classical music. Man, they exercised your musical chops.

I am picky about my poetry. I don't like the obscurely worded stuff that feels pretentious to me, like the poet is trying to show off his knowledge and talent. Don't like most of the old-tymey stuff.

Just before the New Year I discovered a poet name of Edna St. Vincent Millay. She lived from 1892-1950.

Love her poems. They connect with my soul.

John O'Donahue died on January 4, 2008. He was born on January 1, 1956. Two years after me. How appropriate I should write about him today. I believe there is some sort of spiritual connection there. I believe in that stuff, baby. He was only 52 when he died.

I sat in my car mesmerized by the words his friend was reading. With so much reverance, so much emotion. New Year's Eve - when I am so vulnerable and so open. My soul and all my emotion is out there raw and hungry for satisfaction and John O'Donahue just walks right in.

These are the things that sustain me. That make me actually feel alive. I am so far away from who I am and so far away from the people I should be spending time with that a moment like that gives me hope.

It jolts me. It happened for a reason. It gave me a spark of life when I SO needed it.

I am sure I will be quoting John O'Donahue's writing to you. He is part of my life now.

I love John O'Donahue's writing and I did not even know he ever existed before that night.

What a gift.