Yesterday morning, Micah tapped a rhythm on my belly, so I made up a little melody to go along with his beat while eating three of the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I made the previous night. Once I had consumed my fair share the gooey goodness, I grabbed the keyboard, turned on the metronome, and began banging out playing the little melody I had been humming. Hello, key of E flat major. I tinkered with the melody a little and envisioned it being played as a bass line on an upright bass. I attempted to beatbox an open hi hat in rhythm with the metronome. I imagined us enchanting audiences in candlelit venues across America.
After a little bit of this, shall I call it educational fun, I went to clean up the kitchen while Micah played with the keyboard at the top of the bed. When he was done, he left the keyboard on, the metronome still clicking, so I went up and asked him to get it. At the foot of the bed, he smiled. I pointed at the keyboard, he turned around and ran up to the top of the bed, grabbed it, ran back and handed it to me. I delightfully toggled the keyboard to the off position.
Then, I pulled out the steak I had marinated the night before from the fridge and made pepitos.
After that, I got Micah and myself ready to go out and we met my friend Katherine Herrington, a native of Mississippi, whom I met in NYC while we were both employed by Orchard Street Productions. Katherine, otherwise known as Katie, had lived in Inwood, two subway stops and one transfer away from my Washington Heights apartment. Once I started traversing the city by subway, we rode it quite frequently together, along with our cast and crewmates. After the show closed, Katie moved to the UK for a few years, then briefly sat down in Switzerland before she made her way back to the Southern parts of the US, where she now studies art in Birmingham.
Two years ago, we went out for BBQ, she showed me Charm, then we walked around the historic Cobb Lane where the J Clyde resides. This time, we met at Taj, shopped the furnishings and home decor stores in Homewood before we wrapped up our visit at Dreamcakes bakery.
A lovely day was had catching up and doing a little gossiping on the stoop reminiscing. Due to Katie’s southern hospitality, I have a fresh view of Birmingham, and have come to know it as a sophisticated southern city. It is also where MLK organized influential non-violent protests which were met with police brutality.
Fun fact: did you know that bipennis means two-winged in latin?
So, when non violent protesters are met with police brutality, they need bipennis.
And, alis volat propriis means, “she flies with her own wings.”
Can’t fly any other way.
