Butterfly Wings

Yes, I took a little reprieve from the blog world.  What with the election going on I just couldn’t put into words my feelings.  I didn’t want to offend anyone. I’m obliged – as acting Mayor – to keep my constituents happy.  Therefore, I do not voice my opinion about any politician (well, except maybe to my nearest and dearest).  But the whole campaign process – I just can’t…I couldn’t.  I hate it!  I hate it!  I hate it!  Both sides of the aisle were just ruinous toward each other.  I won’t tell you whom I voted for, either.  It doesn’t really matter, does it?  It’s all done and here we are.

Anyway, what’s been happening in the interim you ask?  Well, d’Oasis has a few new residents.  This edition of the d’Oasis narrative will be devoted to our newest inhabitant – Fermina Colquitt.  She is the new music teacher over at the high school and her entrance to our population was greeted with joy and inquiry.  Why inquiry, you ask?  This tight knit community is always curious of the lives of new personage. Well, she’s just as cute as her name sounds and has the most beautiful hair you have ever seen.  She is kind of a quiet sort but you can tell there is an abundance of intelligence behind those eyes.   Lou Coalhouse Dixon displayed an immediate crush on this new teacher.  And having never sung in his life, altered his daily class schedule to include choir. You’d be surprised to find out he has the most sonorous bass voice.

Word around town, via the younger d’Oasians, was that Fermina was a whiz at producing the most glorious sounds from the voices of the dHS Choir.  Students not enrolled in Ms. Colquitt’s classes were often herded from the doorway to the choir room.  It is as if we now had our own Pied Piper.  As I’m sure you know, music is good for the soul.  The new enthusiasm at the high school is palpable.  Grades are going up and the sports teams are succeeding as never before.  You know how they say a butterfly flapping its wings in China can cause a tropical storm way across the ocean.  Well, d’Oasis is proud to welcome its newest butterfly.

As excited as the students were for their newest faculty member, I can assure the rest of d’Oasis was on pins and needles to attend the first dHS Choir Concert led by Ms. Colquitt.  We just knew it was going to be something special when the announcement flyers started appearing in shop windows downtown.  It was fun to observe peoples’ head cock to the side – like a puppy to new sounds – when they read the title of the concert on the flyers: How Great Thou Art Garfunkel.  We’d cornered Effie’s boy, Lou, in the Eat It, Too to inquire about the content of said concert.  I mean, it did sound exciting even with the play on words.  He assured us it would be a night of inspiration.

On a Saturday evening, in the Fall, it seemed the whole of the town packed into the dHS gymnasium for the concert.  Choir concerts were usually held at the d’Oasis Public Theatre (d’OPT), but ticket sales required a new venue.  I settled into front row seats on the gymnasium floor with Meems, Teensy and Effie and the whole place was abuzz.  I appreciated their care for the floor of the gymnasium as it was covered with a marley flooring to protect against non-sneaker shoes.  We looked all around at the anticipatory faces and were immediately drawn to the set up of electronic equipment in front of the stage.  There seemed to be three or four electric keyboards, a computer and one of those things that looks like a tile of pads that sometimes sounds like a drum set – I can’t tell you what they’re called.

The lights changed slowly which settled the audience into attentiveness and Fermina took her place in front of all the machinery facing the stage.  She stood in front of the contraptions and signaled the students to make their entrance.  I suddenly recognized a low humming sound, which must have come from those keyboards, and the choir members slowly glided into place.  They were adorned in robes usually reserved for church choirs and I assumed that was in tandem with the “How Great Thou Art” portion of the concert title.  Those high school students looked so excited to present to us their offering.

Fermina turned to the full auditorium and gave a sweet little welcome with an explanation of the concert’s offering.   We would hear the greatest hits from Simon & Garfunkel arranged with a gospel construct.  My gal pals and I leaned forward in our seats sitting high with glorious anticipation.  Ms. Colquitt turned back to the choir and they all took a deep breath together.  Then, a lone chord ever so lightly escaped the machinery in front of Fermina.  It slowly increased in intensity and we noticed the voices of the young singers added with the increase of the chord.

A lone voice in the middle of the choir began the lyrics to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and the rest of the choir echoed or “aahhhhhed” underneath and the musical chord became the sound of a pipe organ.  The lyrics, music and voices began to move a little quicker and other instruments were added, prescribing the story of the song.  Every eye in the auditorium was transfixed to the stage and to Fermina and to her hands dancing around the machinery in front of her.  I could feel myself breathing with the movement of the music.  We’d never heard anything like it – from the singing of the high school students to the cacophony of instruments transporting us.  Why you’d have sworn there was an entire orchestra in front of that choir.  It truly was magic.

When the last chord of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” bowed its head toward the audience, there was just a second of awe and silence and then an eruption of applause and bravos and bravas and some joyous stamping of feet up in the bleachers.  I’m sure I saw Meemaw wipe a tear from her eye – I mean, who could blame her.  I believe the ovation must have gone on for a good ten minutes.  Ms. Colquitt simply turned and bowed with her choir over and over.  She finally put a single hand up in thank you and the gratitude slowly died down in anticipation of what else was to come.  What an amazing evening of music.  Our favorite tunes were the opening, of course; “The Sound of Silence” (the quietest, most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard); “America;” “I Am a Rock;” “A Hazy Shade of Winter;” and finally, “Homeward Bound.”  I’m pretty sure I saw a few praise hands go up in the audience during some songs – as some Baptists are prone to do – such a true compliment to what Fermina had given us all.

Not a single body moved from its seat the whole concert.  Not a single infant screamed or cried or wiggled.  Every soul in that auditorium was swaying together and leaning in awed.  The final number was met with a second extended ovation until Ms. Colquitt finally released the choir from their places on the stage.  She was then surrounded by a giant congratulatory group of d’Oasians – me and mine included.  There were hugs and “Thank yous” and invitations to meals and more.  Meemaw was finally able to push through the crowd and plead with all to give Fermina some room to breathe.  She pulled that sweet child out of the crowd and mouthed to us, “Eat It, Too.” 

Ms. Colquitt was the guest of honor at our table that evening.  I suppose, as acting Mayor, it is my right and duty to entertain our newest d’Oasian. We gushed on and on about how amazing the choir sounded and the instrumentation provided by her electronics and she sweetly thanked us and nodded and smiled.  She is just as humble as she can be and you can tell the joy that music brings to her life.  We are lucky that we get to share in that joy.  Keep spreading your wings butterfly.

Until tomorrow….don’t be tacky….Peggy.