Yesterday was quite a day. I turned out perfect. Since I was getting no interest from the grown ups about going to DC to march and rally for the Jena 6, I decided to ask Matt to go. When I reviewed the story with him (we have had a running dialog about this ever since it came to our attention several months ago) the night before he cried and said of course he wanted to go.
Right from the get-go we made new friends walking into the Metro station. One girl came from New York, the other from Alabama. They were better prepared with info than we so we followed them to the action.
Young and old, there was a very large turnout, one to be very proud of. One woman preached as the crowd yelled along, "We're here in City Park with the Capitol as the backdrop because...enough is enough!!!!". The "..." was a series of recounting the injustices that had brought all these folks together in one place at the same time.
This young man below (I'm sorry I didn't get his name) spoke in rhyme regarding the challenges in his life as a young black man. "I can't read, I can't write, I don't know my left from right. But as long as I can dribble and put 13 points on the scoreboard I get passed right along. The colleges are coming around, scholarships are offered. Then one night I get hit, as I hear my knee crack, I think of what my future might look like. I can't read, I can't write, I don't know my left from right...". I'm paraphrasing but it went on like that for quite a while with the above as the refrain. Very moving.
So many different ways of hearing what we know but need to hear in new words. "We are a people who were brought to this country against our will 200 years ago and still...". I'm only 49 and I long ago lost patience with this fight. Enough is enough. What is it going to take for us to evolve as a country? as a world?
This is us. We each made our signs according to what was called in our hearts. I bet Matt was asked to have his picture taken at least 50 times. A young white boy taking a day off from school (the ultimate sacrifice!) and going with his mom to stand for a cause that he also believes in moved many folks.
As if we needed a bonus, we found this little brick pavilion next to the Capitol building. It's a small red brick circular structure, partially roofed, but mostly open-air with built-in concrete seating all around the interior. On one side was this grate and the view you see here through it. It was stunning. It looked to be very old and a place created to mediate and/or pray. Good location, it should probably get more use.
God bless America, the world, and all citizens of the world. Peace on Earth...with liberty and justice for all.
A view from the other side showing Lampchop.
And Lampchop surrounded by mature vines and the fig tree which produced figs the first time this year.
And my favorite, Lantana. It's the last to be brought into the retail nurseries and the first to go, they are very cool sensitive.
And here's that culprit when I was looking for who dropped that first red leaf in the yard. I love the reds and oranges that our trees turn out here in the East but the pessimist in me knows that the next step is that they fall off and the trees are bare for several months. Living in California I missed the obvious changes of seasons but I still don't care for winter and snow. But this is beautiful, right?
Happy plants full of blooms have no idea what their soon-to-be-fate is.
This tree and the Crepe Myrtle really jumped up this year. Nice, full trees are our view out back with a field between them and our home back yard.
At least I've got it on record and can look back on these in the dead of winter. That's what makes Spring here oh so sweet.
