In Baltimore, mothers, a tablecloth flag, and snuggling dragons
During a lull in our three-performance weekend tour to Baltimore, we strolled the Inner Harbor, and stepped for a few minutes into the American Visionary Art Museum. One work in particular caught our eye: Pamela Smith’s “Mother” figures.
“I think it is urgent and of great global importance to validate and respect mothers,” the artist writes. “They are the foundation for all our lives and our culture, and the way we treat mothers forms the foundation for how we value all of life.”
We stepped out of the museum and climbed Federal Hill Park, where a friendly breeze and shivelight conspired for a moment to turn the hilltop flag into a checkered tablecloth:
That night we performed What If You Knew, and later received this note from Leah, who was in the audience:
The mood of the song reminded me of something a student of mine wrote long ago, in response to an assignment to “create your own feminist myth.” My student turned the trope of the Dragon into a mother goddess whose primary attribute was to snuggle with you and listen with non-judgmental concern to “everything you’re going through.” Your song brought back my memory of my student’s wonderful vision! So thank you! Keep on writing those wonderful songs!
Thank you, Leah, for these kind words. We’re grateful, too, for the weekend glimpse of city life, for old friends and new, and for opportunities to share the songs that mean so much to us.
